How to appeal property taxes yourself, step by step
Here is how to appeal property taxes yourself: you check your home for free, buy an evidence packet if you want one, review it, and file it with your county yourself. Our software builds the packet from public county records. We never file for you and never take a share of any savings.
- To start
- An address or parcel number
- Cost
- Free check; packets $39 or $69
- Who files
- You, with your county
The seven steps
Check your home free
Enter your address or parcel number. Confirm it's your home, then see how your assessment compares with similar homes.
The free check result, for a fictional example home. Pick a plan
Core $39 or Full Season $69, once per property per tax year. Full Season rebuilds your packet for each later appeal stage in the same tax year. If the county's record of your home looks wrong, you can add the $19 Record Correction Guide, or buy it on its own. You see the free result before you pay anything, and nothing is asked before payment. Right after payment we ask a few quick questions, such as a recent renovation or a recent purchase.
The plan cards under the free result. Checked before delivery
Every packet is built by our software and checked before delivery, usually within minutes. It uses the county's records and published rules and follows our published method; you still decide what to file.
Review your packet
Your packet is ready as a PDF and a web page. Check the property details, look at the comparable homes, and add your own photos or repair bids.
The packet cover, from our example packet. File with your county
Follow the filing guide for your county and stage. You type the value you request, sign and submit it the way your county allows (online, by mail or in person). We never file for you or contact the county for you.
The filing steps in the packet, from our example packet. Get deadline reminders
We email reminders for deadlines that are posted by the county. We never send reminders based on forecast dates.
Deadline reminders in your account. Tell us your result
When the county decides, mark the result in your account. This helps us report real outcomes honestly.
Recording your result in your account.
Who does what?
You do
- Check your home free and decide whether to buy a packet
- You choose the comparable homes, type the value you request, and sign and submit the appeal yourself on the official website.
- Mark your result in your account when the county decides
We do
- Build the packet from public county records
- Pick comparable homes by rules we publish, without looking at their assessments or sale prices
- Email reminders for deadlines the county has posted
You file. We never file for you or contact the assessor, and never take a share of any savings. Not affiliated with any government agency.
Good to know before you start
How the comparable homes are chosen
Comparable homes are picked by rules we publish: same area and property class, similar size, age and features. The picking step does not look at the other homes' assessments or sale prices, so the set isn't hand-picked to help your case. The packet shows how many homes qualified and which ones were used.
Facts, not opinions
Your packet reports county records and simple comparisons. It is not an appraisal and not legal advice. You decide whether to appeal and what value to request.
What counties look at
Each county sets its own grounds for appeal and its own evidence rules. Each county page lists them, with sources.
In Cook County, the Assessor lists uniformity with similar homes, overvaluation and wrong property details as common grounds.
What to expect
An appeal can lower your assessment or leave it as it is; in the vast majority of states it can't raise it. The county decides, and results are not guaranteed.
Start with the free check
See how your assessment compares with similar homes before you decide anything.
No signup and no credit card.