If your home suffered damage during May’s tornado or derecho, an important deadline is coming up Tuesday.

Texas lawmakers passed and voters approved several property tax bills last year. Those bills will be due at the end of the month, and it will save some hundreds of dollars.

After months of debate, Texas lawmakers announced a deal Monday for a record-breaking $18 billion property tax cut to homeowners.

Property owners should start receiving their property tax appraisals at the beginning of April. Many property owners will then have to decide whether they agree with the appraisal, and if not, whether they will file a protest.

Texans who are age 65 or older or who are disabled as defined by law may postpone paying current and delinquent property taxes on their homes by signing a tax deferral affidavit at the Harris County Appraisal District Office.

By now, most homeowners have received property tax appraisals in the mail. If your jaw hit the floor when you opened yours, you should protest your home’s market value with your county appraisal district. Here are some ideas to get your appraisal and your property taxes lowered.

As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. The question: Are Texas DMV offices open? The answer: Harris County DMV offices are open and staffed but are closed to the public due to COVID-19. All Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector offices will have drop-off boxes for your convenience. For vehicle registrations, whether out-of-state or vehicle transfers, all paperwork and payment must be mailed to the Downtown office.

Now, some homeowners are calling on the Harris County Appraisal District to cut taxpayers some slack. Taxpayers’ plea for relief“Here’s your stimulus check for $1,200; and here’s your bill for $4,000 for your property tax,” quipped retired southwest Houston homeowner Ed Hobson. “We have to follow the state tax code.”Barnett said the tax code requires that properties in Harris County be appraised on Jan. 1 of every year. Rather than changing the tax code and laws, he said taxing and other government agencies will have to be flexible. What you can do if your property appraisal increasedLike every year, you can protest your appraisal online using iSettle or iFile.