Property Tax shows wrong sq ft - can I get a refund?

Yes, you can absolutely get this corrected! I work with property assessments and this happens more often than you'd think. First, contact your county assessor's office and request a reassessment based on incorrect square footage. Bring documentation from your builder showing the actual square footage (blueprints, final inspection docs, etc). Most counties allow you to file for corrections and potential refunds going back 3-5 years, depending on local laws. The process typically involves filling out a form requesting reassessment, submitting your evidence, and possibly having an assessor visit to verify. Don't expect immediate results - the process can take 2-3 months, but it's worth it. Property taxes are directly tied to square footage in most areas, so this could result in significant savings going forward and possible refunds for past overpayments.

I had the exact same issue last year! After pulling my hair out trying to get someone on the phone at our county office, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me analyze all my property documents and tax records. It basically confirmed what I suspected - that my home had been incorrectly measured and I was paying for 278 sq ft I didn't actually have. They generated a detailed report comparing the county records to my actual home measurements and builder documents, which made the whole process of challenging the assessment so much easier. The best part was they have experts who explained exactly what forms I needed to file in my county. Saved me tons of time trying to figure out the process on my own!

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing this recommendation and wow, it was super helpful! I uploaded my closing documents, some photos of my house, and the property tax statements. They identified that my house was listed as having a finished basement (which I definitely don't have) and an extra half bathroom. Their report showed I was being taxed for about 400 square feet more than I actually have! Just submitted everything to the county yesterday. The customer service person I talked to said this happens all the time and with the documentation I now have, it should be a straightforward fix. They said I'll likely get refunds for the past 3 tax years. Crossing my fingers!

I spent TWO MONTHS trying to get someone at my county assessor's office to talk to me about a similar issue. Left messages, sent emails, even went in person and was told "the person who handles that isn't in today." So frustrating! Then someone told me about Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) - they have this service that gets you through to government offices on the phone, including tax assessors. Checked out their demo (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and decided to try it. They actually got me through to a real human at the assessor's office in less than 30 minutes! I explained my situation about incorrect square footage and got the exact information I needed about the appeal process and what documentation to bring. Saved me so much time and frustration compared to trying to handle it myself.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to test it out with our county assessor (which typically has 45+ minute hold times). Got a call back in 17 minutes with an actual human on the line who helped me start the process for correcting my square footage issue! The person I spoke with confirmed I can get a refund for up to 3 years of overpayment in our county, and gave me the exact form number I needed to file (which isn't even listed on their website). Would have taken me weeks to figure all this out on my own. For anyone dealing with government offices that never answer their phones, this is actually worth checking out.

One thing no one's mentioned yet - make sure you check how this might affect your home insurance too! When we corrected our square footage with the county (ours was off by about 300 sq ft), we then sent the updated info to our homeowners insurance company and ended up getting a reduced premium since we were being charged for more house than we actually had. It wasn't a huge amount but saved us about $180/year on insurance.

Has anyone succeeded in getting a refund in California? Our tax assessor's website says we can only request corrections going forward, not refunds for past years. But our sq footage has been wrong for 7 years now! Seems so unfair that they can overcharge for years but won't give the money back.

This is such a common issue! I'm a property appraiser and see this all the time. The key is having solid documentation - your builder's plans are perfect for this. When you contact the assessor's office, also ask about their "informal review" process first, which is usually faster than a formal appeal. One tip: if you have your original purchase contract or closing documents, those sometimes list the actual square footage too, which can serve as additional supporting evidence. Also, don't be discouraged if the first person you talk to seems unhelpful - ask to speak with a senior appraiser or supervisor who handles reassessments. The refund potential varies by state/county, but most places will go back at least 3 years. Since you've been overpaying since 2020, you're potentially looking at significant savings. Document everything and keep copies of all communications. Good luck!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar issue where my property records show 2,450 sq ft but my actual home is only 2,100 sq ft. I've been putting off addressing this for months because I didn't know where to start, but reading everyone's experiences has given me the confidence to move forward. I'm particularly interested in the taxr.ai service that Brooklyn and Jay mentioned - it sounds like it could save me a lot of time analyzing my documents. I have my original builder plans and closing paperwork, so I should have good documentation to work with. One question for those who have been through this process: did any of you face pushback from the county assessor's office, or were they generally cooperative once you provided the proper documentation? I'm in Texas like Brooklyn, so hopefully I'll have a similar experience with getting those 3 years of refunds. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice I needed to hear!

As someone who works in local government (not tax assessment, but I deal with similar bureaucratic processes), I wanted to add a few practical tips that might help speed things along: 1. **Call early in the week, early in the day** - Tuesday through Thursday, 9-11 AM tends to be when you'll get the most helpful staff who aren't overwhelmed. 2. **Get reference numbers for everything** - When you submit documents or have phone conversations, always ask for a reference number or case number. This makes follow-up calls much smoother. 3. **Be prepared to explain the financial impact** - Calculate roughly how much you've overpaid per year and mention this upfront. Staff are more likely to prioritize cases where there's a clear financial harm to the taxpayer. 4. **Ask about expedited processing** - Many offices have expedited tracks for certain types of corrections, especially when there's clear documentation of an error. The square footage discrepancy you're dealing with is actually one of the easier types of assessment errors to fix because it's objective and measurable. Unlike disputes over property condition or comparable sales, there's no subjective interpretation involved - either your house is 1865 sq ft or it's 2300 sq ft. Keep us updated on how it goes! These success stories really help other homeowners know what to expect.

I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! My property has been assessed at 2,150 sq ft since I bought it in 2019, but I recently measured and it's actually only 1,920 sq ft. That's a 230 sq ft difference that I've been paying taxes on for 6 years now. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key is having good documentation and being persistent with the county office. I have my original builder plans and closing documents, so I should be in good shape there. I'm particularly interested in trying that informal review process that Nina mentioned before going the formal appeal route. One thing that's got me worried though - has anyone run into issues where the county pushes back and claims their records are correct even when you have builder documentation? I'm in Florida, and I'm not sure how cooperative our local assessor's office tends to be with these kinds of corrections. The potential refund would be substantial given how long this has been going on, so I really want to make sure I approach this the right way from the start. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance I needed to get started on fixing this mess!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm a newcomer to this community and finding myself in a very similar situation. My property records show 2,180 sq ft but after pulling out my original builder plans, I discovered my home is actually only 1,950 sq ft. That's a 230 sq ft difference I've been overpaying on since 2021! Reading through everyone's experiences here has given me so much confidence to tackle this. The combination of services like taxr.ai for document analysis and Claimyr for actually getting through to the right people seems like it could save me months of frustration. Plus the practical tips from Anastasia about timing calls and getting reference numbers are gold. I'm planning to start with the informal review process that several people mentioned, then escalate if needed. Has anyone dealt with Cook County, Illinois specifically? I'm curious if they tend to be cooperative with these corrections or if I should prepare for a longer battle. Either way, the potential savings over 4+ years makes this definitely worth pursuing. Thanks to Ana for starting this thread and everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly why community forums like this are so valuable!

Welcome to the community! As someone new here, I'm amazed by how helpful and detailed everyone's responses have been to Ana's original question. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly educational. I'm actually dealing with a similar situation myself - just discovered that my property has been assessed at 2,250 sq ft when it's actually only 2,020 sq ft according to my original builder documents. I've been overpaying for about 4 years now, which could add up to quite a bit in refunds if I can get this corrected. The combination of practical advice (like Anastasia's tips about timing calls and getting reference numbers) along with the specific service recommendations (taxr.ai for document analysis and Claimyr for getting through to government offices) gives me a clear roadmap for tackling this issue. It's reassuring to see that most people have had positive outcomes once they got organized and persistent. I'm planning to start with calculating my annual overpayment amount, then gather all my documentation before making that first call to my county assessor. The informal review process sounds like the right first step before considering any formal appeals. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and advice - this is exactly the kind of community support that makes dealing with bureaucratic challenges so much easier!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I'm really impressed by how supportive and knowledgeable everyone has been in helping Ana and others navigate these property tax issues. Reading through all these detailed experiences has been incredibly valuable. I wanted to add one more resource that might be helpful for anyone dealing with property tax assessments - the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) website has a lot of useful information about taxpayer rights and the assessment process. They also have a "Find an Assessor" tool where you can look up contact information and specific procedures for your local jurisdiction. Also, for those who mentioned being nervous about calling government offices, many counties now offer online portals where you can submit initial requests or questions electronically. This can be less intimidating than making phone calls and gives you a written record of your communications from the start. The success stories shared here really demonstrate that persistence pays off with these issues. It's encouraging to see so many people getting positive results once they took action. The combination of having proper documentation (like builder plans) and using some of the helpful services mentioned (taxr.ai, Claimyr) seems to make the whole process much more manageable. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences - this thread is going to help so many homeowners who find themselves in similar situations!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer, I'm absolutely blown away by how comprehensive and helpful this thread has become. Ana's original question has sparked such an incredible discussion that's going to help countless homeowners dealing with similar assessment issues. Reading through everyone's experiences, I'm struck by how common these square footage discrepancies actually are. It seems like assessor errors happen more frequently than most people realize, but the good news is there are clear pathways to get them corrected and potentially recover overpayments. The combination of resources everyone has shared is fantastic - from the document analysis services like taxr.ai to communication help through Claimyr, plus all the practical tips about timing calls and keeping detailed records. Having this roadmap makes what initially seems like an overwhelming bureaucratic challenge feel much more manageable. I'm particularly encouraged by the success stories people have shared, especially the refunds that folks like Brooklyn and Hunter received. It really demonstrates that persistence and proper documentation pay off. For anyone still on the fence about pursuing these corrections, this thread shows it's definitely worth the effort. Thanks to Ana for starting this important conversation and to everyone who has contributed their knowledge and experiences. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes tackling complex issues so much easier!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I've been reading through this entire thread with fascination - Ana's original question has really opened up an incredible discussion that's going to help so many homeowners. I'm actually in a very similar situation myself. Just discovered that my property records show 2,400 sq ft when my actual home is only 2,150 sq ft according to my builder's final plans. I've been overpaying on that extra 250 sq ft since I bought in 2022, so while it's not as long as some of the cases mentioned here, it's still adding up to significant overpayments. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has given me such a clear roadmap for tackling this. The combination of services like taxr.ai for document analysis, Claimyr for getting through to government offices, plus all the practical tips about timing calls and keeping detailed records - it's like having a complete step-by-step guide. I'm particularly encouraged by the success stories shared here. Knowing that people like Brooklyn, Hunter, and others have gotten substantial refunds gives me confidence that this process actually works when you have proper documentation and persistence. Planning to start with calculating my annual overpayment amount, then gather all my documentation before making that first call for an informal review. Thanks to Ana for starting this conversation and to everyone who shared their knowledge - this community support is invaluable!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer, I've been following this thread with great interest and wanted to share some additional perspective that might be helpful for Ana and others dealing with similar assessment issues. I work in municipal finance and see these square footage discrepancies quite frequently. One thing I'd recommend is also checking if your homestead exemption (if applicable in your state) is calculated correctly based on the wrong square footage. Sometimes the assessment error cascades into other tax benefits, so you might be missing out on savings there too. Also, when you're gathering documentation, don't forget about any survey documents from your closing - these often include square footage measurements that can serve as additional supporting evidence alongside your builder plans. The more documentation you have from different sources showing the same square footage, the stronger your case becomes. For those worried about the process being adversarial, in my experience most assessment offices actually appreciate when taxpayers bring these errors to their attention. Accurate records benefit everyone, and square footage corrections are typically straightforward since they're objective measurements rather than subjective valuations. The success stories shared here are really encouraging and show that persistence with proper documentation pays off. Ana, with your builder plans showing 1865 sq ft versus the recorded 2300 sq ft, you have an excellent case for both the correction and potential refunds. Good luck!