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A single-family home in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas. The owner came to TaxDrop after opening a 2026 Notice of Appraised Value from the El Paso Central Appraisal District (EPCAD) showing a market value of $395,106.
Names and addresses are withheld. The figures below are the district's own recorded values.
The notice landed at $395,106 — a third straight increase, from $374,847 in 2024 to $388,297 in 2025 and then $395,106.
As a homestead, the 10% cap held the taxable value at $325,031. But the cap only slows increases. The market value underneath it was the real problem, and it was far above what the evidence supported.
An over-assessment is not a one-year problem. Whatever value the district sets becomes the starting point for next year, so an unchallenged number compounds. At a combined tax rate of about 2.5%, every $50,000 of excess taxable value costs roughly $1,250 a year.
Texas gives owners two grounds under Tax Code Chapter 41: market value that exceeds what the property would sell for (§41.41), and unequal appraisal — being assessed higher than comparable properties (§41.43).
East El Paso has plenty of similar homes, which cuts both ways. The district's model has a lot of data, so a protest has to show specifically why this home's number is out of line — not just that values in general feel high.
TaxDrop filed the protest and built the evidence packet:
EPCAD reviewed the evidence and came back with an offer of $284,826, which the owner accepted.
The 2026 assessment came down from $395,106 to $284,826.
That is a $110,280 reduction — 27.9%.
The new market value fell below the capped taxable value, so the taxable value dropped by $40,205 this year. And because next year's homestead cap is measured from this year's appraised value, the ceiling for 2027 now starts from $284,826 instead of $325,031.
Estimated tax savings: about $1,000 a year on the $40,205 drop in taxable value at a 2.5% combined rate.
Because the value carries forward as next year's starting point, the benefit repeats until the district raises it again.
It depends on how far above market your assessment sits — and, for homesteads, how the new value compares with your capped taxable value. This owner saved about $1,000 a year. The arithmetic is the drop in taxable value times your combined rate.
No. Filing a protest does not expose you to an increase — if the district does not agree to a reduction, your value simply stands.
Often not. Many protests resolve at the informal stage or on a settlement waiver. The formal ARB hearing is the backstop, and TaxDrop handles hearings by phone or video.
Recent comparable sales with defensible adjustments, and equity comparables showing similar properties assessed lower. Photos of condition issues help. Opinions do not.
May 15, or 30 days after your Notice of Appraised Value is delivered, whichever is later. See EPCAD's protests and appeals page and the Comptroller's property tax protest overview.
You can absolutely file yourself — the Comptroller's Taxpayer Remedies guide explains the process. The question is whether your evidence will hold up against a district appraiser's own analysis. That is what TaxDrop builds.
We check whether you have a case before you pay, and tell you when you do not. See pricing for the options.
Start your El Paso County property tax protest — or read how the process works in our how it works guide.