Property Tax Appeal Letter: What to Include + Template

A property tax appeal letter is a one-page statement that tells the assessor or review board what value you think is correct and why. In most places it does not replace the official appeal form. It goes with the form, or it is attached as your written statement of evidence. File the form your county requires, and use the letter to make the argument easy to follow.

The letter is not where you vent about the tax bill. Boards decide on value, not on what you can afford, so a letter that sticks to the value and the evidence is the one that gets read.

Check what your county actually wants first

Counties differ. Some require their own form and only accept a letter as an attachment. Some accept a written statement in place of attending a hearing. Some have a deadline for supporting documents that is different from the filing deadline. Before you write anything, find these on your county's own appeal page:

• The name of the form and where it is filed (online, mail, or in person)
• The filing deadline for this year
• Whether supporting documents can be uploaded or mailed with the form
• Whether the board accepts written statements instead of a hearing

Our county guides list the deadline and filing steps for the counties we cover. Always confirm against the county's own site, because deadlines change from year to year.

What the letter should contain

Keep it to one page. Five parts, in this order:

1. Who and what. Your name, the property address, and the parcel or account number from your assessment notice.
2. The ask. The assessed value on your notice and the value you are asking for. Put the number near the top.
3. The reason. One or two grounds, stated plainly. Examples: the property record has an error (wrong square footage, a finished basement that is unfinished), recent sales of similar homes support a lower value, or similar homes nearby are assessed lower.
4. The evidence. A short list of what is attached, each item named: the record card, comparable sales with addresses, sale dates and prices, photos, a contractor estimate for condition problems.
5. The close. Ask for a reduction to your stated value, give a phone number or email, and sign it.

What to leave out

• The tax rate, the size of the bill, or a rise in your costs. The board sets value, not rates.
• Claims about the assessor's motives.
• Sale prices from long ago or from a different type of property.
• Anything you cannot attach proof for.

Template

Replace the bracketed parts.

[Date]

[County] Board of Review / Assessor's Office [Address from the county's appeal page]

Re: Appeal of 2026 assessment, [property address], parcel [parcel number]

I am the owner of the property above and I am appealing its assessed value.

The current assessed value is $[assessed value]. I am requesting a value of $[requested value].

My reasons:

1. [Reason one, one or two sentences. Example: the record lists 2,400 square feet; my measured living area is 2,050.]
2. [Reason two, if any.]

Attached evidence:

• [Exhibit A: property record card with the error marked]
• [Exhibit B: three comparable sales with address, sale date and price]
• [Exhibit C: photos or estimates]

I ask that the assessment be reduced to $[requested value]. You can reach me at [phone/email].

Sincerely, [Name, signature, mailing address]

Worked example

This one is made up to show the format. The numbers are not from a real property.

Re: Appeal of 2026 assessment, 123 Maple Street, parcel 00-000-000

The current assessed value is $412,000. I am requesting a value of $371,000.

My reasons:

1. The property record lists 2,400 square feet. I measured 2,050 square feet of finished living area (Exhibit A, with a floor plan).
2. Three similar homes within half a mile sold in the past year for $355,000 to $385,000 (Exhibit B).

I ask that the assessment be reduced to $371,000.

Notice the structure: the number, then two reasons, each tied to an attached exhibit. A board member can read it in under a minute.

Who writes and files it

You do. We are not attorneys and we do not file or represent anyone. We prepare the research and the documents, and you review, sign and submit them yourself. If you want the letter, the form and the comparable-sales exhibit prepared for your address, a Grove Hopper appeal case is a flat $50. You can also see what a finished one looks like in the sample report.

Start with your own numbers

The strongest letters start from a real comparison of your assessment against the evidence. Run the free check below to see whether your assessment looks high and which angles apply to your property. For more on what boards respond to, read what evidence actually wins a property tax appeal and our appeal checklist.