Williamson Property Taxes Cut in 54% of Informal Hearings

The people of Williamson County are turning to informal appeals in record numbers. Be it homeowners or businesses, these simple protests are cutting more value from the tax rolls than ever before. $2.91 billion in value was cut in 2023, with $2.5 billion of that coming from commercial properties. 54% of all these protests were successful, helping the average taxpayer stand up to the overzealous values of the Williamson Central Appraisal District (WCAD). Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™, today and maximize you chance for a reduction. WCAD may be stingy, but O’Connor has the knowledge to get you the best cut possible. There is no cost to enroll, and your taxes will be protested annually. You only pay if your taxes are successfully lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.

Resolved Informally Williamson CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Thousands
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Total Number	27.201	29.065	34.671	42.881	55.501	49.088	44.085	39.082	45.165	53.482	60.828
Single Family	16.117	19.205	22.066	26.701	38.082	40.906	33.964	27.022	33.213	38.124	40.172
Commercial / Other	11.084	9.860	12.605	16.180	17.419	8.182	10.121	12.060	11.952	15.358	20.656

Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.

Williamson County Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally

While they may be the most basic of property tax protests, informal appeals are far from being a budget option. These humble protests are often enough to get major savings on taxes and are perfect for fixing most issues. Whether you are looking for an informal appeal or something more complex, O’Connor is here to help you on your way. Join forces with one the premier property tax consulting firms in the United States and get the support you need in whatever step in the protest journey you are.

Williamson CAD Informal Settlements

Despite quickly growing into a top-dollar area, Williamson County taxpayers still favor informal appeals by a wide margin. 53,482 disputes were resolved informally in the county, the most since 2018. These simple protests have certainly been effective and are the primary reason that nearly one third of all properties in the county are protested. This means that the Williamson Central Appraisal District(WCAD) must always be on its toes, helping keep appraised values honest.

Single family homes are the main driver in the number of informal appeals. 38,124 homeowners resolved their disputes in this manner, which was the highest since 2019. In fact, appeals for homes have been on a steady climb since 2021. Commercial properties have been on a slower uptick as well and lodged 15,358 protests in 2023. This was the most filed for businesses since 2018.

Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Williamson CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Thousands
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Total Number	14.241	19.459	23.081	25.589	26.257	30.389	26.263	22.137	27.479	29.274	32.910
Single Family	9.603	14.816	17.671	19.780	20.487	25.038	20.872	16.706	20.643	20.427	22.192
Commercial / Other	4.638	4.643	5.410	5.809	5.770	5.351	5.391	5.431	6.836	8.847	10.718

Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.

Williamson County Informal Hearing Reductions

Across Texas, informal protests tend to be more successful than ARB hearings. Only judicial appeals, lawsuits against the CAD, are more successful, but they take years of planning and a full legal team. For a simple action, these protests can bring in solid rewards, but they have to be well-executed. 29,274 of these protests were successful in 2023, which means that they landed some kind of reduction for the taxpayer. If they are not successful, they can be escalated into a formal protest, so losing at this level is not the end.

Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Percent
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Total Number	52.350%	66.950%	66.570%	59.670%	47.310%	61.910%	59.570%	56.640%	60.840%	54.740%	54.100%
Single Family	59.580%	77.150%	80.080%	74.080%	53.800%	61.210%	61.450%	61.820%	62.150%	53.580%	55.240%
Commercial / Other	41.840%	47.090%	42.920%	35.900%	33.120%	65.400%	53.270%	45.030%	57.200%	57.610%	51.890%

Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.

Williamson County Percentage of Informal Hearings with Reduction

The success of an informal appeal often hinges on how generous the local CAD is. Bexar County, for instance, is incredibly liberal with their settlements and most appeals have a success rate of over 90%. WCAD is much more conservative and keeps the purse strings tight. In 2023, 54.74% of these protests managed to land a settlement. This is below the statewide average of 73.66%. However, rates of around 50% are common in high-dollar areas, which Williamson County is transitioning to.

One unique wrinkle in the percentage is that commercial properties won more than residential ones. This is highly unusual across Texas, as homes are usually much higher. In Williamson County, 57.61% of commercial appeals were successful, opposed to only 53.58% of residential ones. This trend is reversed in ARB hearings, where homes won 62% of the time compared to a win rate of 43% for commercial properties.

$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Billions of $
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
$ Reduction Total	0.7634	0.9016	1.0196	1.3230	1.2034	1.5185	1.3866	1.2546	2.0845	2.9144	2.0085
$ Reduction Single Family	0.1475	0.2474	0.3019	0.3521	0.3460	0.4421	0.3445	0.2468	0.3613	0.4758	0.4138
$ Value Commercial / Other	0.6158	0.6543	0.7176	0.9709	0.8574	1.0764	1.0421	1.0078	1.7232	2.4386	1.5947

Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.

Williamson Central Appraisal District Value Reduction from the Informal Process

Informal appeals truly are simple, yet mighty. In 2023, these protests managed to reduce overall taxable value by $2.91 billion. This is the most value ever reduced in this manner for the county. Commercial property led the way, with cuts of $2.5 billion. It was the major success of businesses that allowed the record to be set. Homes did well too, bringing in a savings of $475.80 million.