{"id":243456,"date":"2026-04-10T10:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/243456\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:44:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:44:07","slug":"what-is-market-vs-taxable-value-in-texas-property-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/243456\/","title":{"rendered":"What is market vs taxable value in Texas property taxes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Property<\/p>\n

Property tax bills for people with homestead exemptions won’t reflect the big increase in market values because the taxable value of an existing home with such an exemption can’t go up more than 10% per year under state law.<\/p>\n

Jay Janner\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n

When Travis County homeowners receive their Notice of Appraised Value each spring, many focus on the top number \u2014 the market value. But understanding all three figures on the notice can help homeowners decide whether filing a property tax<\/a> protest will actually\u00a0lower their bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The notice includes a market value, net appraised value and taxable value, and each plays a different role in determining how much you pay. Some homeowners may choose to protest to lower their\u00a0long-term tax burden<\/a>, even if short-term savings are limited. Others may discover their biggest opportunity is applying for exemptions rather than challenging their appraisal.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Reviewing the notice closely before filing can also help homeowners gather the right evidence and set realistic expectations about the outcome. Appraisal officials say the goal is accuracy, not simply increasing values.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe openly admit that we don\u2019t know everything about your property,\u201d said Cynthia Martinez, chief strategy officer for the district. \u201cOur appraisers don\u2019t have access to your home. They literally just drive by and see what they see. We need the property owner to help us do our job so that we can get it right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Understanding the difference between these figures can help homeowners decide whether a protest is worth their time. For some, correcting exemptions may bring the biggest savings, while challenging market value can help limit long-term increases. Officials also note appraisal districts do not set tax rates\u00a0\u2014 local governments do\u00a0\u2014 and say the process is meant to encourage communication.<\/p>\n

People are also reading: Austin homeowners pay over $8K in property taxes. How does that compare across Texas?<\/a><\/p>\n

Market value: The starting point<\/p>\n

The market value is the appraisal district\u2019s estimate of what your property would sell for as of Jan. 1. This is the number most homeowners choose to protest.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\"Bastrop<\/p>\n

Bastrop County residents will see a delay in the receipt of their 2016 property tax bills until after the Nov. 8 election, when voters will decide whether to approve the Bastrop school district\u2019s proposed 13-cent tax increase.<\/p>\n

Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Even if your tax bill doesn\u2019t increase significantly this year, a higher market value can lead to larger increases in future years. That\u2019s because this number sets the baseline for future appraisals.\u00a0District officials say the figure is based on sales data, neighborhood trends and field observations.<\/p>\n

The county also divides properties into appraisal neighborhoods, which may not match how homeowners think about their communities. Those boundaries consider physical, economic, governmental and social factors, such as school districts, nearby amenities and housing characteristics.<\/p>\n

Net appraised value: How caps protect some homeowners<\/p>\n

The net appraised value reflects limits on how much your property value can rise each year, such as the homestead cap. In Texas, a primary residence typically cannot increase by more than 10% annually for tax purposes, even if the market value rises faster.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

That means some homeowners may see large jumps in market value but only modest increases in the number used to calculate their taxes.<\/p>\n

This is why some homeowners feel alarmed by rising values but see smaller changes in their tax bills. Still, protesting market value can matter. Lowering that number may reduce future increases once the cap resets or if a property loses homestead status.<\/p>\n

Taxable value: What your taxes are actually based on<\/p>\n

The taxable value is the final number after exemptions, such as homestead, senior, disability or veteran exemptions. This is the number used by cities, counties and school districts to calculate property taxes.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

If exemptions are missing or incorrect, homeowners could pay significantly more than they should. In some cases, correcting exemptions can have a larger impact than protesting the market value.<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Austin resident Annie Harton fills out her protest form at the Travis County Appraisal District office in Austin in 2017. Harton said it was her third time protesting her property\u2019s appraisal. \u201cWhen things get pretty bad, that\u2019s when I have to come in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

What homeowners should do<\/p>\n

For many Travis County homeowners, the biggest takeaway is simple: Don\u2019t focus on just one number. Understanding how market value, caps and exemptions work together can help homeowners decide whether to protest, apply for exemptions or both to avoid leaving money on the table.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

SIGN UP: Get alerts on key dates and important information about property taxes and appraisal protests<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Property tax bills for people with homestead exemptions won’t reflect the big increase in market values because the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243457,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,2051,394],"class_list":{"0":"post-243456","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-headlines","10":"tag-austin-news","11":"tag-taxes","12":"tag-travis-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}