As one of the hottest housing markets in the United States, Fulton County and the Atlanta area have both seen recent spikes in value. With a large influx of people moving to urban areas, the demand for housing is making it difficult for longtime residents to keep their homes amid changing neighborhood dynamics. This can be especially tricky for senior citizens, many of whom live on fixed incomes. How to keep seniors in their homes has been an increasing debate across the country, especially in areas with a history of working families or in communities with historically high minority populations.
Atlanta and Fulton County decided to address this in November, utilizing three ballot initiatives to help aid seniors. This trio of bills easily passed thanks to overwhelming public support. Each of these bills contributed to establishing stronger senior homestead exemptions for Atlanta Public Schools and Fulton County Public Schools. When everything was put together, Atlanta seniors landed one of the largest such tax cuts in the nation, which they will be able to use starting in 2026.
Atlanta Act 58, Senate Bill 330
Exclusively for seniors in the city of Atlanta itself, this bill secured all seniors over the age of 65 a $50,000 reduction in taxable value for taxes that contributed to Atlanta Public Schools. This improved upon a previous exemption that only allowed seniors to deduct $25,000 if they met strict income requirements. The new bill did away with those requirements, adding thousands of new households to the exemption. If you qualify for this new exemption, then you can expect to save on average about $1,000 every year. This is applied on top of the standard homestead exemption that everyone gets. School taxes are the largest type of property tax in Atlanta, so this should grant significant relief.
House Bill 777
This bill and its partner are for Fulton County seniors outside of Atlanta itself. HB 777 established a senior homestead exemption of 25% of the home’s total value, reducing taxable value for Fulton County Schools significantly. Depending on the value of your home, this could be an even larger cut than the savings available to seniors within Atlanta. To qualify, you must be over 65 and have maintained a standard homestead exemption for your home for five of the past six years. This new reduction combines with the standard exemption.
House Bill 776
This bill improves upon HB 777 by granting even larger savings for certain seniors. If you are over 70 years old and have maintained a homestead exemption for five of the last six years, you are eligible for the biggest cut available. 50% of your home’s taxable value is exempted from Fulton County School taxes. With the rapidly rising cost of housing in Fulton County, the savings from this bill can be truly massive. This is one of the more generous senior breaks in the United States and shows Fulton County’s commitment to its oldest and most established homeowners.
All Three Bills Take Effect on January 1, 2026
If you are a senior in the Atlanta area, you will not have to wait long to take advantage of these new bills. As soon as the new year begins, you can apply for the applicable exemption. Each was quickly implemented after ratification, ensuring that savings can begin immediately. No matter the type, homestead exemptions do have a filing deadline of April 1, 2026, so that is a date to keep in mind. Once you are signed up, these exemptions are automatically renewed every year.
Property Tax Appeals Can Enhance These Exemptions
While seniors were certainly handed a bounty with these cuts, they can be improved upon to even greater heights. Property tax appeals allow you to drop your taxable value even further, by demonstrating your home is overvalued. Exemptions and appeals work fantastically in tandem, as one easily bolsters the other. Georgia also has a property tax freeze law, which offers one of the most significant advantages for property owners who appeal. If you can successfully lower your taxable value with appeals, it will stay at the new number for three years. With Atlanta homes spiking by the year, this opens the door for some of the largest savings possible in the entire nation. Paying 2026 values in 2029 could easily save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars every year.
O’Connor can Help
As one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the world, Atlanta housing values are only going to soar. Fulton County saw an increase of 5.9% in 2025 alone, with an even larger spike expected in 2026. We at O’Connor are here to aid you however we can. We can help you file and understand your exemptions, analyze your appraisal for errors, and lead your appeal as well. Hopefully, we can secure a freeze for you on top of it all, granting you both savings and peace of mind for years to come.
For over 50 years, we at O’Connor have been helping clients across the nation save on their taxes. Georgia is one of the most competitive markets there is, and there is a great deal we can do for our clients, even in the face of staggering taxes. We will not only fight for you and your property in 2026 but will continue to do so every year. There is no fee to join us or to secure our annual appeals or analysis. We will only charge you a contingency fee if we are able to lower your taxes. We will also provide insights into the best exemptions to pursue and how best to prepare for the future. We have a branch office in Atlanta, meaning we have local experts in your area, backed by one of the largest property tax firms in the nation.
