If you own the home you live in, Georgia gives you a break on property taxes through the homestead exemption . The statewide piece is modest, $2,000, but it opens the door to bigger local exemptions, senior exemptions and, in most places, the new HB 581 cap on how fast your taxable value can climb.
At a glance
- Statewide exemption
- $2,000 off assessed value, county and school taxes [1]
- Who qualifies
- You owned and lived in the home on January 1 [1]
- Deadline
- April 1, with your county tax commissioner [1]
- HB 581 value cap
- Inflation rate, 2.7% for 2026, unless your local government opted out [2][3]
- Age 65 or older
- $4,000 off county taxes, income limits apply [1]
How the $2,000 exemption works
Georgia taxes homes on their assessed value, which is 40% of fair market value. The statewide homestead exemption takes $2,000 off that assessed value for county and school taxes [1]. It doesn’t apply to municipal school taxes or to taxes for paying off bonds [1].
Because it reduces value rather than the bill, what you save depends on your local tax rates. Many counties and cities have passed their own homestead exemptions on top of this one, and those are often worth far more, so ask your tax commissioner which ones apply at your address.
Filing: who, where and when
- You must have owned the home and lived in it as your legal residence on January 1 of the tax year [1].
- File with the county tax commissioner’s office, or with the tax assessor’s office in counties that handle it there [1].
- The deadline is April 1 [1]. You can apply any time in the year before, up to that date.
- Missed it? The Department of Revenue says homeowners can now apply after April 1, up to the end of the 45-day period for appealing their assessment notice [1].
The HB 581 floating homestead exemption
House Bill 581, passed in 2024, created a statewide floating homestead exemption [2]. Where it applies, it exempts the amount by which your home’s assessed value this year is higher than its adjusted base year value [2]. In plain terms, your taxable value can only rise by inflation, even if the market value jumps.
- The base year: for the 2025 tax year, the base was your home’s 2024 assessed value, so where the exemption applied, the assessed value on a homestead did not change from 2024 to 2025 [2].
- The yearly adjustment: from 2026, the base is adjusted by an inflation rate the Department of Revenue publishes each January, based on the national consumer price index. The rate for 2026 is 2.7% [3].
Opt-outs: it depends on where you live
The floating exemption applied automatically to every county, city and school district unless that government formally opted out. To opt out, a local government had to advertise, hold at least three public hearings and file a resolution with the Secretary of State by March 1, 2025 [4]. Each body decided separately, so your county might apply the cap while your school district doesn’t, or the other way around.
Your assessment notice and your county tax assessor can tell you which of your taxing bodies apply the floating exemption.
Exemptions for seniors and disabled veterans
| Exemption | Who qualifies | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Age 65 or older | Household income of $10,000 or less in the prior year (some retirement income not counted) | $4,000 off county taxes |
| Age 62 or older, school taxes | Same $10,000 income limit | Up to $10,000 of assessed value off school taxes |
| Age 62 or older, floating inflation-proof | Household income up to $30,000; home's value has risen more than $10,000 | The increase in value, for county taxes (used instead of other county homestead exemptions) |
| Disabled veteran | Qualifying disabled veteran, or unremarried surviving spouse or minor children living in the home | Greater of $32,500 or the federal amount ($121,812 for 2025) |
For the income tests, the Department of Revenue doesn’t count retirement, pension and disability income up to the maximum Social Security amount, which was $96,432 for 2025 [1]. If you stop qualifying for a senior exemption, you’re required to tell the tax commissioner [1].
Sources
- Georgia Department of Revenue: Property Tax Homestead Exemptions
- Georgia Department of Revenue: Informational Bulletin 2025-01, Floating Homestead Exemption (Jan. 22, 2025)
- Georgia Department of Revenue: Policy Bulletin 2026-01, Annual Inflationary Index Rate (Jan. 13, 2026)
- HB 581 opt-out guidance (ACCG and GMA) with the Georgia Secretary of State's filing notice, City of Savannah agenda
Common questions
How much is the homestead exemption in Georgia?
The statewide exemption is $2,000 off the assessed value of your home for county and school taxes. Many counties, cities and school districts add their own, larger exemptions, so check with your county tax commissioner.
When is the deadline to file for homestead exemption in Georgia?
April 1, with the county tax commissioner (or the tax assessor in some counties). You must have owned and lived in the home on January 1. If you miss April 1, the Department of Revenue says you can still apply until the end of the 45-day window to appeal your assessment notice.
What is the HB 581 floating homestead exemption?
A 2024 law that limits how much the taxable value of a homestead can rise each year to the rate of inflation (2.7% for 2026). It applies everywhere except in the counties, cities and school districts that opted out by March 1, 2025.