What is the difference between an informal review and a formal appeal?

An informal review is a conversation with the assessor's office. A formal property tax appeal is a later filing heard by a separate board. IAAO treats them as two stages. Some counties offer the first; the second is the actual case.

Do I have to do an informal review before I appeal?

It depends on the county. Some places treat the informal talk as a first stop. Others go straight to the formal filing. The informal conversation, where it exists, is not the same event as a hearing in front of a board.

Is an informal review a property tax appeal?

IAAO notes that an informal objection may not technically be an appeal. The formal filing is the appeal. The informal talk can close a simple mismatch. It does not replace the later window in front of an independent panel.

Informal Review vs Formal Property Tax Appeal, Explained | FairAppeal

In short

An informal review is a conversation with the assessor's office; a formal property tax appeal is a later filing heard by a separate body. IAAO's appeal standard treats those as two different rooms, not two names for the same meeting. Some counties offer the first. Every county that taxes land has some version of the second.

Look up if you are overpaying.

What is an informal review of a property assessment?

The IAAO Standard on Assessment Appeal describes an informal consultation with the assessor, by meeting, phone, or correspondence, before a formal filing. It is a chance for both sides to look at the printed number. It is not a hearing in front of a board. Some places require that conversation first. Others skip it. Missing the later formal window because the informal talk ran long is a real risk IAAO flags in that same standard.

What is a formal property tax appeal?

It is the filing that opens a case in front of a board of equalization, board of revision, or the local equivalent. The board of equalization page stays on that panel. You pay only if FairAppeal saves you money. The Fair Appeal path is the formal case, carried for the owner, not a script for a kitchen-table filing.

Related reading: the property tax glossary and how property tax appeals work.