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The Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) has begun the process of mailing personal property rendition forms to businesses known to have been operating in Harris County during 2021.

The appraisal district will continue offering its free rendition workshop sessions to help business owners complete the required personal property rendition forms before the April 15 filing deadline. This year the district will conduct eight workshops - four online virtual workshops and four in-person workshops at the appraisal district office – with individual sessions starting March 9. Registration is now open at www.hcad.org > Online Services > Rendition Workshops. No registration is needed for the in-person workshops.

Participants can sign up for an available 30-minute time slot to meet individually with appraisal district staff who will answer questions and provide one-on-one help completing the form. There is no charge to attend.

If you own tangible personal property that is used to produce income, you must file a rendition with the Harris County Appraisal District by April 15. A rendition is a report that lists all the taxable personal property you owned or controlled on Jan. 1 of this year. Personal property includes inventory and equipment used by a business such as furniture and fixtures, supplies, raw materials, and business vehicles, vessels and aircraft.

“Those who attend these workshops will consult individually with appraisal district staff who will explain personal property taxation and rendition requirements, as well as answer questions about completing the rendition forms,” said Roland Altinger, chief appraiser. “These sessions have been very successful in the past and have helped business owners complete their renditions on the spot.”

All business owners are required to file renditions whether or not they have received notification. Businesses that fail to render or that render late are subject to a 10 percent tax penalty. Filing a fraudulent rendition carries a 50 percent penalty if found guilty.

State law permits business owners to obtain an automatic extension of the filing requirement by submitting a request in writing by the April 15 filing deadline. The extended deadline for such businesses would then be May 16.

For new businesses, or those that have not received a rendition, a rendition form is available on the appraisal district’s website at www.hcad.org under the “Forms” tab along with information on the rules of the process or on the rendition workshops signup page mentioned above.

Business owners with questions about the rendition requirements are encouraged to attend any of the workshop sessions, call the appraisal district’s Information Center at 713.957.7800 or email help@hcad.org. About HCAD The Harris County Appraisal District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas established in 1980 for the purpose of discovering and appraising property for ad valorem tax purposes for each taxing unit within the boundaries of the district. The district has approximately 1.8 million parcels of property to assess each year with a total market value of approximately $691 billion. The appraisal district in Harris County is the largest in Texas, serving approximately 500 taxing units, and one of the largest appraisal districts in the United States. For further information, visit www.hcad.org.

About HCAD

The Harris County Appraisal District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas established in 1980 for the purpose of discovering and appraising property for ad valorem tax purposes for each taxing unit within the boundaries of the district. The district has approximately 1.8 million parcels of property to assess each year with a total market value of approximately $691 billion. The appraisal district in Harris County is the largest in Texas, serving approximately 500 taxing units, and one of the largest appraisal districts in the United States. For further information, visit www.hcad.org.