What is the Homestead Exemption?
A homestead exemption could be called property tax relief; in the way that it allows a home owner to deduct a set amount from the assessed value of their legal primary residence, from their total property tax value. To be eligible a person, a non-person entity is not eligible, the home must be owned by the person wanting to file for the homestead and it has to be their legal residence (actually occupying the residence) as of January 1st of that year.
Example: Mr. Smith buys his house, in Cobb County, on August 12th, 2013. He can file for homestead exemption at any time before April 1st for the 2014 tax year. He cannot apply the homestead exemption to his 2013 taxes because he didn’t own the property on January 1, 2013.
A home owner only has to file for a Homestead Exemption once and they do not have to file for the exemption again for the length of ownership.
How, and where, do I file for my Homestead Exemption?
The application for homestead exemption must be filed at the tax commissioner’s office, or tax assessor’s office depending on the county, by April 1st of the taxable year, to be applied for that year. (Some counties have earlier deadlines)(An application can be filed year round, but will not apply until the following year) Depending on when you are filing, you may have to bring a copy of your Warranty Deed that you received at closing with you, a copy of the Settlement Statement (HUD-1) to show ownership of the property, your identification, and in some counties you may have to provide your social security number.
How much is the Homestead Exemption?
In Georgia the amount of deduction from the state can be found here on the Georgia Department of Revenues’ website. In general, the amount of the tax relief was between $200 and $300.
The homestead exemption only applies to primary residences, which means you can't claim it for a rental property or vacation home. If you own a home that your adult children or other relatives live in, they can only claim a homestead exemption if they have an ownership interest in the property. If your living situation changes and the home is no longer your primary residence, you might be required to notify the county tax assessor's office of the change. In some states, failure to do so is considered fraud and can result in a criminal charge.
Disclaimer: This information is provided as a courtesy only
COUNTY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION
For information regarding available exemptions, contact the county you live in.
The following is a list of the metro area counties contact information for filing the homestead exemption:
BARTOW COUNTY
(770)387-5111 www.bartowga.org/taxcomm
Office of the Tax Commissioner
135 W. Cherokee Avenue Suite 217A
Cartersville, Georgia 30120
CHEROKEE COUNTY
(770) 479-0433 www.co.cherokee.ga.us
Office of the Tax Commissioner
100 North Street, Suite G20
Canton, Georgia 30114
CLAYTON COUNTY
(770) 477-3311
Courthouse Annex Three Building, 2nd floor
121 South McDonough Street
Jonesboro, Georgia 30236
COWETA COUNTY
(770) 254-2670
Coweta County Tax Commissioner
County Administration Building
22 East Broad Street
Newnan, Georgia 30263
COBB COUNTY
(770) 528-8600 www.cobbtax.org
Office of the Tax Commissioner
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, Georgia 30090
DAWSON COUNTY
(706) 344-3590
Office of the Tax Assessors
2572 Tucker Ave, Suite 104
Dawsonville, Georgia 30534
DEKALB COUNTY
(404) 298-4000 www.co.dekalb.ga.us/taxcommissioner
Office of the Tax Commissioner
4380 Memorial Drive
Decatur, Georgia 30032
DOUGLAS COUNTY
(770) 920-7272 www.co.douglas.ga.us/
Office of the Tax Commissioner
Douglas County Courthouse
8700 Hospital Drive
Douglasville, Georgia 30134
FORSYTH COUNTY
(770) 781-2110 www.co.forsyth.ga.us/tax/default.htm
Office of the Tax Commissioners
Forsyth Administration Building
110 E. Main Street Suite 130
Cumming, Georgia 30040
FULTON COUNTY
(404) 224-0102 www.myfultoncountyga.com
Office of the Tax Assessor
141 Pryor Street Suite 1047 B
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
GWINNETT COUNTY
770-822-8800 tax@gwinnettcounty.com
Office of the Tax Commissioner
75 Langley Drive, 1st Floor
Lawrenceville, Georgia 30045
HALL COUNTY
(770) 531-6720 www.hallcounty.org/depts/taxcomm/
Office of the Tax Assessor
HCGC-2875 Browns Brdg. Rd.
Gainesville, GA 30504
HENRY COUNTY
(770)954-2470 www.co.henry.ga.us/taxcommissioner/taxcommmain.htm
Office of the Tax Commissioner
140 Henry Parkway, P.O. Box 488
McDonough, Georgia 30253
PAULDING COUNTY
(770) 443-7581 www.paulding.gov/government/taxcomm.htm
Office of the Tax Commissioner
Paulding county Annex Building
25 Courthouse Square #203
Dallas, Georgia 30132
WALTON COUNTY
(770) 267-1352
Office of the Tax Assessor
215A East Church Street
Monroe, Georgia 30656