Want to Reduce your Property Taxes? Apply for Homestead Exemption.

Have you purchased a home, townhouse or condo last year 2025, and you live most of the time there (Primary Residence, not a secondary house nor a rent)? If so, you are eligible to apply for the homestead exemption for the 2026 tax year which will reduce your property taxes. The homestead exemption is a property tax reduction eligible for owner-occupied homes.

This also applies to those who bought it even before 2025, and never applied to Homestead Exemption, or those who had a Change in the Owners on Titles.

How to Qualify for the homestead exemption: (1) You must own, occupy, and claim the property as your legal residence as of January 1st of 2026, and (2) you must submit your application along with any supporting documentation by the deadline of April 1st. Unfortunately, any Homestead applications that are filed after April 1st will not be granted until the next calendar year.

Once you have properly filed for the homestead exemption and it has been granted, the exemption will remain on your property until there is a change in ownership, such as adding someone else to Title, or Removing someone currently on title (quit claim deed, death, etc). The exemption is automatically renewed each year so long as you continually occupy the home under the same ownership, and hence you do NOT need to refile for the exemption every year.

You could be eligible for Additional Types of Exemptions as well, and these could vary by County: Senior Exemption, Disability Exemptions, Low income, etc.

While application requirements may vary depending on your county of residency, the following are the most commonly requested information and documentation needed to complete the application:

Georgia Driver’s License or valid GA identification with your new address updated;

Social Security Number (Owner and Spouse);

Registration for all vehicles owned in the county of your new address;

Recorded deed for new owners;

Trust document and affidavit if the property is in a trust;

Proof of income, previous year’s tax returns, and copy of Social Security Award Letter (for Senior and other Special Exemptions).

The closing attorney who completed your closing will typically send you the recorded deed within a month or two, and many closing attorneys are currently getting the Deed recorded digitally which makes the process faster. Remember to contact the Tax Commissioner’s Office or Tax Assessor’s Office after you have filed the application to confirm receipt and that the taxing authority considers the exemption properly filed and granted.

The deadline for filing is April 1st of this year for all counties in Georgia.

To get the best information regarding filing instructions , check with your county tax assessor’s office. If you are in a city, you may have to also file with the city (i.e. Milton, Roswell and Alpharetta).

Here is a list of the contact and websites for the majority of tax assessors in the metro area.

Homestead Exemption Georgia: Save on Property Taxes 2026

Want to Reduce your Property Taxes? Apply for Homestead Exemption.

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