What this is
Your tax bill has 5 to 7 line items and you can fight every one of them. Here's how property taxes actually work, who sets your value, and how to protest.
Your Harris County property tax bill has 5 to 7 line items from different taxing entities. HCAD sets your assessed value annually. This guide explains every line item, the homestead exemption ($100,000 off school taxes), over-65 freezes, and the protest process from informal hearing through binding arbitration.
Deadline: May 15.
Why it matters
This is part of Our Money — jobs, financial security, and building wealth.
How to dig in
- 1Start with the snapshot above to know what this is in a glance.
- 2Read through to understand how it connects to the bigger picture.
- 3Explore it using the button above.
By the numbers
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