How do I authorize or revoke an agent to handle my Texas property tax protest?
How do I authorize or revoke an agent to handle my Texas property tax protest?
Use Form 50-162 (Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters) to authorize someone to file and present your protest, and Form 50-813 to revoke it — but you are never required to use an agent; Texas owners may file and present their own protest.
Texas homeowners can handle a protest entirely on their own, but if you want a representative — a tax-protest service, a relative, or an attorney — the appointment is done through specific Comptroller forms.
You can always self-represent. The Texas Comptroller confirms an owner may present their own case without an agent or attorney. Hiring a representative is optional.
Appointing an agent — Form 50-162. To authorize someone to act for you, file Form 50-162, Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters, with your appraisal district. The appointment is authorized by Tex. Tax Code §1.111 and directs the appraisal district, the ARB, and each taxing unit to deliver notices and documents about the identified property to your designated agent. On the form you specify the property covered, the matters the agent may handle, and any expiration date.
How long it lasts. Once effective, the designation stays in place until the earlier of (1) a written revocation filed with the appraisal district by you or your agent, or (2) the expiration date you wrote on the form.
Revoking an agent — Form 50-813. To end an agent's authority, file Form 50-813, Revocation of Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters, with your appraisal district. This is important if you switch protest companies or decide to take over your own protest mid-cycle — file the revocation so the district stops routing your notices to the old agent.
Watch the contract terms. Many contingency protest firms use the agent appointment to auto-renew year after year and bill a percentage of your savings. Read the agreement, note the expiration field on Form 50-162, and keep Form 50-813 handy if you want out. Because Texas lets you self-file for free, compare a multi-year contingency cut against simply filing your own protest before signing.