Georgia starts paying its $18,000 homestead tax credit this week. It comes off your bill, not as a check. What it means for Atlanta homes in Fulton and DeKalb.

Georgia will start sending money for its one-time homeowner tax credit to local governments this week. Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Revenue announced it Monday in a news release.

The 2026 Homeowner Tax Relief Grant cuts the assessed value of a qualifying home by $18,000 for the 2026 tax year. It shows up as a lower property tax bill. There is no check and no direct deposit, the state said.

Who qualifies

The Department of Revenue sets out the rules on its grant page:

  • The home must have a homestead exemption claimed by the April 1 deadline.
  • Rental property does not qualify.
  • A homestead that owes no property tax gets nothing.
  • Homeowners with a qualifying homestead exemption do not need to apply, the state said.

A homestead exemption filed after April 1 counts toward next year, not this one.

How much it is worth

The credit is worth $18 for every mill of tax on your bill. That is because a mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value.

It applies to most of the rates on a bill. The department lists the exceptions:

  • bond millage
  • tax allocation district millage
  • some special service district millage
  • special tax districts created after 2004

Fulton County’s own General Fund rate is 8.87 mills, the county said in its Oct. 8 release. On that rate alone, the credit works out to about $160. The city of Atlanta and Atlanta Public Schools rates on the same bill add to it. Your total depends on which rates apply to your address.

The state funded the grant with $950 million in the amended fiscal 2026 budget, according to the department’s page.

Atlanta’s bills are a special case

Atlanta sits in two counties, and neither has a normal year.

Fulton County. The 2026 bills that went out Aug. 15 are temporary, because the countywide tax digest was late, the county said in its Aug. 14 release. They use each government’s 2025 rate. Final figures come after rates are set, and the county said it will send a refund or a revised bill “only as needed.” The city of Atlanta portion was due Sept. 30 and the county portion Oct. 15.

The state said some homeowners will already see the credit on bills that have gone out, and others will see it as local governments issue bills. The state pays each local government after that government submits and verifies its paperwork.

We could not reach the Fulton County Tax Commissioner’s website on Monday to confirm whether the credit is on Fulton’s temporary bills. If you are not sure, check your bill for the credit or call the office at 404-613-6100.

DeKalb County. The second installment of DeKalb County taxes is due Monday, Nov. 16. Bills for city of Atlanta properties in DeKalb have not been mailed and will be announced later, the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office said on its website. Questions go to 404-298-4000.

What it means for you

  • If you own and live in your home and claimed a homestead exemption by April 1, you should get the credit without doing anything.
  • Look for it on your bill. Local tax offices must include a notice that the reduction comes from the governor and the General Assembly, the department said.
  • Do not wait for a check. None is coming.
  • The state calls it a one-time grant for the 2026 tax year, so plan for next year’s bill without it.
  • Every mill on your bill is worth $18 of credit. Our property taxes page lists the rates, exemptions and phone numbers for both counties.

The grant is separate from the regular $2,000 state homestead exemption and from senior and veteran exemptions, the department said. Questions about eligibility or the credit on a bill go to your county tax commissioner’s office, the state said.