Homestead Exemptions

If you purchased your home last year and have not already done so, remember to file for a Homestead Exemption. This can save you thousands of dollars in property taxes!

While some states provide this exemption automatically, in Georgia a homestead exemption must be applied for. Depending on the county, this can be done online, by fax, by mail or in person. You only have to apply for the exemption once. The exemption remains as long as you reside in the home as your primary residence.

A Homestead Exemption provides more than just a tax break. It also provides two important protections. It prevents the forced sale of a home to meet the demands of creditors and provides the surviving spouse with shelter.

You may file for homestead exemption year round. Deadlines are listed below by county along with a link for a homestead application. Applications received after these deadlines will be processed the following year.

• CHATHAM COUNTY (912) 652-7100 – Deadline is April 1st –  Must be filed in person

Residents of Chatham County who own and actually occupy a home and the land it rests on are eligible for an exemption. Property owners are allowed to claim only one homestead exemption, in which case must be on their primary residence. Rental property does not qualify. Only persons who reside on the property and whose name appears on the title can file for exemptions. Applications must be completed in person by the property owner, unless they have given another party their power of attorney.

All exemptions must be filed with the Assessors Office, 222 W. Oglethorpe Ave., Suite 113., 1st Floor of the Pete Liakakis Government Building between 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Applications are accepted year-round. Applications taken prior to April 1 of a Tax Year will be processed for the current year. Applications taken after April 1 will be applied to the next Tax Year.

Failure to file within the allocated time for the homestead exemption constitutes a waiver of exemption for that tax year. Georgia law does not provide for extension of time for filing for whatever reason.

All exemptions, once approved, are automatically renewed each year until eligibility changes.

Available Homestead Exemptions:

1. Regular Homestead Exemption
2. Stephens-Day Exemption
3. Senior School Tax Exemption
4. School Tax Disability
5. Special Chatham County
6. Disabled Veterans
7. Unremarried Surviving Spouse of US Service Member Killed in Action
8. Surviving Spouse of Peace Officers and Firefighters Killed in the Line of Duty
9. City of Savannah
10. Floating Homestead
11. Tax Deferral for the Elderly

To file for the appropriate homestead exemption, the property owner shall provide the Chatham County Board of Assessors staff with all of the following:

a) A valid Georgia Driver’s License or Georgia Identification Card.

b) Registration for vehicles owned by and registered in the name of the applicant.

 

 

* All information believed accurate but is not warranted. All rights reserved.