How to read my notice of appraised value

Your annual notice of appraised value (called a Notice of Appraised Value in Texas, a TRIM notice in Florida, a Notice of Value elsewhere) is the document that triggers your right to appeal. Read it in this order:

Identifiers (top of the notice). Your parcel/account number (PIN, APN, or tax ID), the property address, and the legal description. You need the parcel number to file, so confirm it matches your property. (See the Texas Comptroller's notice guidance, which explains the notice and the informal-conference option it must disclose.)

The value breakdown. Most notices split the total into land value (the lot as if vacant) and improvement value (the house and structures). These sum to your total assessed/appraised value. Check the improvement square footage, bedroom/bath count, and lot size against reality — factual errors here are the easiest wins.

Three value figures you must not confuse. Notices often list market value, assessed value, and taxable value. Market value is the assessor's estimate of what the home would sell for; assessed value may be a fraction of that (set by a statutory ratio); taxable value is what's left after exemptions and any assessment caps. Your appeal targets the market/appraised value, not the tax bill directly. (See the Montana Department of Revenue's Understanding Your Property Appraisal Notice for a worked example of these layers.)

Year-over-year change and exemptions. The notice shows last year's value next to this year's; a large jump is your cue to investigate. Confirm every exemption you qualify for (homestead, senior, veteran) is applied — a dropped exemption can spike the bill even if value is flat.

The deadline and how to protest. The notice states your filing deadline and the procedure. Calendar it immediately — miss it and you generally lose the right for the year. The notice also tells you whether an informal review is available before a formal hearing.

Bottom line: the notice is a checklist — verify the facts, isolate the market value, confirm exemptions, and note the deadline before deciding to appeal.