What if I missed the appeal deadline?
In some states, you are not completely out of luck. Some states offer secondary appeal opportunities if you did not file an appeal on your real estate assessments. These appeals can be tricky and are more difficult to pursue, but if you missed the chance to file your initial appeal, it is worth trying.
Kansas – Payment Under Protest (PUP)
In Kansas, if you missed the appeal deadline, you can submit a late appeal simultaneous with your first installment of property tax payment. Kansas allows you to split your tax payment in half, so any reductions in taxes achieved through the Payment Under Protest would either be realized on a reduced second installment tax bill or a refund would be issued after taxes were paid. This could also be an important step in mitigating your tax liabilities going forward. Any reductions achieved should hold for the following two years or limit a potential increase to only 5%, essentially saving you money over two or three years. (Don’t worry, we only get paid a contingency of the savings during the tax year the reduction was made.)
Texas – 25.25d Appeals
Texas has some of the highest property tax rates in the country and they tend to increase values year after year prompting a constant wave of appeals. As high as these taxes are, some property owners still do not get around to filing an appeal by the standard deadline. If that happens and your property is substantially over assessed, we can file a 25.25d appeal by the end of January for the prior year’s value. This is a complicated process, as we would have to achieve a substantial (33%) reduction, but it is worth pursuing when you consider the typical increases and tax rates we see in Texas. Even if not successful, this gives PVS a head start in preparing your next appeal, just three to four months away.