School Property Tax Exemption for the Elderly with Local Option

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State

Georgia

Year

2017

Variations in Receipt of Benefit

No Variation in Receipt of Benefits

Benefit Type

Exemption

Benefit

Eligible applicants receive an exemption, up to $10,000 of assessed value from all property taxes levied by, for, or on behalf of any school system. The applicant must file an initial application, but from that year forward, additional annual applications are not required. However, it is the responsibility of the homeowner to notify the tax commissioner if he or she becomes ineligible for the exemption. Counties have the option of increasing the amount of the exemption.

How is Benefit Disbursed

Exemption from assessed value

Eligible Property Type

Residential

Characteristics of Eligible Property

Only residential property is eligible for this program.

Eligibility Criteria

Age

Homeowner

Income Ceiling

Principal Residence

Description of Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants must be at least 62 years old and occupy the qualifying property as a primary residence as of 1 January for the year in which the benefit is first applied. They must have a household income that does not exceed $10,000. Household income excludes income from retirement sources, pensions, and disability payments up to $64,488. Any income above this limit is counted towards the income threshold.

Local Option in Adoption of Program

Local government is unable to exercise an option

Local Option Regarding Program Features

Local option regarding program features

State Funding for Local Tax Loss

State reimburses all of the local government tax loss

Description of State Funding for Tax Loss

State funding for tax loss is provided to school districts only when funds are specifically appropriated for that purpose. In the event that funds are appropriated, the State Board of Education will provide each school district with grants for educational purposes in an amount equal to the revenues lost by the school district because of this exemption. The state will distribute these grants only to school districts which had a tax levy of 20 mills or more for educational purposes as of 1 July 1974.

Record ID

GA108_RR17

Footnotes

For the purposes of this exemption, household income includes retirement, survivor, or disability benefits under the Social Security Act above the maximum limit. For 2017 the Social Security maximum benefit is $64,488. It also includes any other public or private retirement, disability, or pension system. According to Ga. Const. Art. VII, § II, Paragraph II (2), homestead exemptions levied by local taxing jurisdictions may be granted by local law conditioned upon approval by a majority of the qualified electors residing within the limits of the local taxing jurisdiction voting in a referendum thereon.

Sources

Ga. Code Ann. § 48-5-52 (in effect for 2017)

Source Constitution:

Ga. Const. Art. VII, § II

Georgia Department of Revenue, Application for Homestead Exemptions (General) [https://dor.georgia.gov/sites/dor.georgia.gov/files/related_files/document/LGS/Form/LGS-Homestead_Application_for_Homestead_Exemption.pdf Accessed 02/14/2018] View Archived Source

Property Tax Exemptions, Department of Revenue [https://dor.georgia.gov/property-tax-exemptions Accessed on 02/14/2018] View Archived Source

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