How to file a Tarrant County property tax protest.

Step 1: read the TAD notice

Start with your 2026 Notice of Appraised Value. TAD says the notice includes the protest deadline, and its new portal page says the Owner ID and E-FILE PIN are located in the upper left and right corners of the appraisal notice.

Before filing, copy the account number, appraised value, property description, exemptions, deadline, and any portal credentials shown on the notice.

Step 2: create or access the right TAD account

TAD's new portal page says owners need to create a new account to access the portal and then verify property information with the E-FILE PIN and Owner ID from the notice.

The same page says owner features in the new portal include Submit Protest, limited online form submissions, and new property search. It says owner features still maintained in the legacy portal include online settlement or Value Negotiation and reviewing district evidence through the end of 2026.

Step 3: try value negotiation when appropriate

TAD's 2026 notice article says it offers a value negotiation tool for residential taxpayers to resolve value disputes efficiently. It also says homeowners can value negotiate on the legacy website, and if no agreement is reached, the process moves to the new website to file a protest.

Do not treat negotiation as a substitute for deadline awareness. If you are close to the filing deadline, make sure the protest itself is submitted on time.

Step 4: submit the protest

TAD recommends electronic filing through the dashboard in its 2026 notice article, while also saying owners may file by mail or in person. TAD's forms library includes a Notice of Protest form and Spanish Notice of Protest form.

For a basic residential value protest, the filing should identify the property, owner, protest issue, and what you disagree with. Keep a copy or confirmation of whatever you submit.

• Use the online portal if available for your property.
• Use the official Notice of Protest form if filing by paper.
• State the issue clearly: market value, unequal appraisal, record error, exemption issue, or another protestable action.
• Keep confirmation numbers, submitted PDFs, mail receipts, and screenshots.

Step 5: prepare for informal review or TARB hearing

Texas Comptroller guidance says after filing a protest you receive written notice of the ARB hearing date, time, place, subject matter, and information on how to access estimated taxes. It also says owners may request an informal conference with the appraisal district before the formal ARB hearing.

If the issue is not resolved informally, TARB is the local board that hears testimony and reviews evidence for Tarrant County protests.

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