DeKalb County Tax Commissioner issues property tax season warning to homeowners

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– Each year during property tax season, unsuspecting homeowners potentially lose money to businesses offering tax saving programs. DeKalb Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson is warning property owners to beware of costly services.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve reminded property owners by phone, social media, community presentations and our website to beware of costly services targeting seniors and unsuspecting homeowners,” said Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson. “My office has recently received an increased number of calls from concerned homeowners about businesses offering to file a homestead exemption or an assessment appeal for a fee.”

“Unfortunately, this has caused confusion for property owners who are or may not be familiar with the process. Homestead exemptions can be submitted throughout the year in person or online from January until the April 1 deadline at no cost. Filing directly with the tax office also avoids the need to share personal information with a third party.”

Property owners in DeKalb County have two options to reduce property taxes: file an assessment appeal and/or apply for a homestead exemption. These filings are free, and easy to do yourself, Johnson said.

DeKalb property owners who recently received their annual notice of assessment are encouraged to carefully review their notice as soon as possible. If a homeowner disagrees with the current valuation, appeals must be filed with the assessor’s office within 45 days of the mailing date on their assessment notice. There is no cost to file an appeal with the assessor’s office.  Instructions for filing an appeal by the July 18 deadline are included on the mailed notice.

Homestead exemptions can be submitted in person at any of the following Tax Commissioner’s office locations: Central office at 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur; North office at 3653 Clairmont Road in Chamblee, or South DeKalb Mall at 2801 Candler Road in Decatur near the Macy’s mall entrance.

Important property tax reminders:

• Due to a recent legislative change (HB92), taxpayers may now apply for a homestead exemption in person at any three Tax Commissioner’s office locations during the assessment notice appeal window.
• If you applied using your 2024 tax return, your status has been determined for 2025. Do not apply again.
• If you applied for a senior exemption using your 2023 tax return before the April 1 deadline, you may re-apply using your 2024 return during the appeal window.
• Exemption applications received after the assessment notice appeal deadline will be processed for the following tax year.
• Assessment notices are not tax bills. The Tax Commissioner’s office is responsible for property tax billing and collection of taxes based on assessments. The 2025 tax bills are expected to be mailed later in August following the successful approval of the county’s tax digest by the Georgia Department of Revenue.
• Tax bills reflect a computed assessment based on millage rates set by the governing authorities, the fair market values determined by the county’s Property Appraisal & Assessment Department, and the assessment valuation of 40%.
• Taxpayers should be aware that in any tax year, tax bills could be higher due to an increase in the fair market value of their property but can be offset by tax savings (EHOSTand exemptions). 

For questions regarding annual assessment notices and the appeal process, call the Property Appraisal Department at 404-371-0841.

Questions regarding homestead exemptions, exemption status, or delinquent tax may be directed to the Tax Commissioner’s Office at 404-298-4000. 

Learn more cost-saving tips and how to prevent fraud at the tax commissioner’s website dekalbtax.org/did-you-know. Follow @dekalbtaxga on Facebook, X (Twitter),LinkedIn, and Bluesky for more updates.