Much of your first Chatham County property tax bill is settled before you close. Georgia bills whoever owned the home on January 1, the homestead exemption turns on the same date, and the rate depends on which governments tax your address.
Key Takeaways
– Georgia taxes 40% of fair market value, and each mill is $1 per $1,000 of that assessed value.
– The January 1 owner is billed for the year. The Tax Commissioner does not prorate, so the split is handled at closing.
– Homestead requires owning and living in the home on January 1. Apply online by April 1, or in person until the 45-day appeal window on your assessment notice closes.
– County bills are due June 1 and November 15; Savannah’s separate city bill is due June 15 and November 15.
How is property tax calculated in Chatham County?
Georgia taxes 40% of the fair market value the Board of Assessors sets each year. The Tax Commissioner’s bill guide works the example of a $393,000 home with a net assessment of $157,200 (Chatham County Tax Commissioner). Exemptions come off that assessed value, and each taxing body’s millage rate applies to what remains.
A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value (Chatham County Tax Commissioner). Our first-time home buyer guide for Georgia covers the earlier steps.
What are the 2026 millage rates for Savannah and Tybee Island?
Each taxing body sets its own rate. These are the 2026 rates each advertised in its required notice this summer:
| Taxing body | Advertised 2026 rate (mills) | Highest 2026 rate without a tax increase (mills) |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham County maintenance and operations | 10.518 | 10.188 |
| Savannah-Chatham County Public School System | 17.331 | 17.049 |
| City of Savannah | 11.749 | 11.402 |
| City of Tybee Island | 3.542 | 3.469 |
| Special Service District, unincorporated county | 6.502 | 6.272 |
The City of Savannah calls that second figure the rollback rate, the rate that would bring in last year’s revenue if values hadn’t been reassessed. State law makes it advertise a rate above rollback as a tax increase, even though 11.749 matches its 2025 adopted rate (City of Savannah). Tybee Island’s FY2027 budget also holds the city at 3.542 mills (City of Tybee Island).
Three of these rates are confirmed as final in the adopted ordinances. Chatham County’s 2026 Revenue Ordinance sets the rate adopted and levied for 2026 at 10.518 mills, plus 6.502 mills for the Special Service District (Chatham County). The City of Savannah’s 2026 Revenue Ordinance sets its rate at 11.749 mills (City of Savannah). The school system’s figure above is the rate it advertised, so confirm the levied rate on your bill.
Unincorporated owners pay the Special Service District levy “in lieu of municipal taxes” (Chatham County). The second-installment bill reflects the current year’s rates (City of Savannah).
Who pays property taxes the year you buy a house?
The January 1 owner. As the Tax Commissioner puts it, “whoever owns a property on January 1 of each year is responsible for that year’s property taxes.” That owner can pass the liability to the buyer through the purchase agreement, usually at closing, and the office “does not prorate taxes between buyer and seller” (Chatham County Tax Commissioner).
- The purchase-year bill goes to the January 1 owner and to you.
- Your settlement statement’s proration may use estimates if the actual bill isn’t out yet.
- If your lender pays from escrow, the bill can go to the lender too, but the owner stays responsible for payment (Chatham County Tax Commissioner).
Closing this fall? Confirm in writing who pays the November 15 installment.
When are Chatham County property taxes due?
June 1 and November 15. The first bill is mailed by April 1 and the second by September 15 (Chatham County Tax Commissioner). The first installment is roughly half of last year’s taxes, and new exemptions are added on the second. It also carries Tybee Island’s city tax.
Savannah sends its own bill; its 2026 Revenue Ordinance sets installments due on or before June 15 and November 15 (City of Savannah). New to the city? Read our guide to moving to Savannah.
Pay late and the county charges interest every 30 days from November 16, plus penalties every 120 days up to 20%.
How do I file for homestead exemption in Chatham County?
File with the Chatham County Board of Assessors at 222 West Oglethorpe Avenue, Suite 113, or online until April 1. You must own and live in the home as your permanent residence on January 1, with your name on the title (Chatham County Board of Assessors). Rental property doesn’t qualify.
Bring a valid Georgia driver’s license or ID card and registration for vehicles in your name; staff may also ask for a prior-year utility bill or voter registration card. Any vehicle you own must be registered in Chatham County (Chatham County Tax Commissioner).
April 1 is no longer the hard stop. Georgia lets owners apply up to the end of the 45-day appeal window on their assessment notice (Georgia Department of Revenue), and Chatham takes online applications until April 1 and in-person ones after that (Chatham County Board of Assessors). File after the window closes and it applies to the following tax year.
Run the dates on a fall purchase. Close in October 2026 and you didn’t own the home on January 1, 2026, so 2027 is the earliest year you can claim it. The seller’s exemption doesn’t transfer either: automatic renewal “applies only to the home originally exempted,” and a buyer files a new application.
How much does homestead take off your tax bill?
The regular exemption takes $12,000 off the assessed value for county taxes and $2,000 off for school and state taxes, according to the Tax Commissioner’s 2025 brochure (Chatham County Tax Commissioner).
Chatham’s floating Stephens-Day exemption and the state’s HB 581 version each equal the gap between current fair market value and an adjusted base-year value (the home’s value in the year before you apply, plus later improvements), and the county awards whichever saves more (Chatham County Tax Commissioner). For the school levy and City of Savannah bills, a Consumer Price Index percentage is added to the base (Chatham County Board of Assessors).
Can military members claim homestead exemption in Georgia?
Yes, if the home is your Georgia domicile, and that choice has tax effects. The Tax Commissioner says service members who keep a legal residence or vote in another state aren’t eligible, and that military personnel who claim homestead “are declaring their intention to become Georgia residents and are liable for State income taxes and ad valorem taxes on personal property; including motor vehicles.” Talk to a tax professional before you file.
For qualifying disabled veterans, Georgia’s exemption is the greater of $32,500 or an amount set under federal law, which the Department of Revenue lists as $121,812 for 2025 (Georgia Department of Revenue). Chatham asks for a VA letter stating 100% service-connected disability or compensation at the 100% rate. PCSing to Hunter? See our Savannah and Hunter Army Airfield page.
How do you appeal a Chatham County property assessment?
File in response to your annual assessment notice, within 45 days of the notice date printed on it (Chatham County Board of Assessors). Appeals go to the Board of Assessors in writing. If the assessors make no change, the case moves to the free Board of Equalization, where evidence can include your purchase price, appraisals and comparable sales (Chatham County Board of Equalization).
Your purchase price isn’t a ceiling. Under HB 581 and HB 92, the Board of Assessors says the sale price “is no longer the maximum allowed value for the following tax year.” An appeal that lowers the value can secure a three-year freeze if you meet the hearing rules, but appealing a property that already has a freeze can remove it (Chatham County Board of Assessors).
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the homestead exemption deadline in Chatham County?
April 1 for online applications. After that, Georgia lets owners apply until the 45-day appeal window on their annual assessment notice closes, and Chatham takes those applications in person. You must have owned and lived in the home on January 1, or the application counts toward a later year.
Does the homestead exemption transfer to a new owner?
No. Chatham County’s automatic renewal applies only to the home originally exempted, so a buyer files a new application in their own name. It counts for a tax year in which you owned and lived in the house on January 1. Purchase-year taxes are usually settled with the seller at closing, because the Tax Commissioner does not prorate them.
When are property taxes due in Savannah, GA?
November 15 for the second installment of both bills. Chatham County’s first installment is due June 1. Homes inside Savannah city limits also get a separate City of Savannah bill, due June 15 and November 15 under the city’s 2026 Revenue Ordinance. County interest starts November 16.
Plan for the tax bill before you close
If you’re buying this fall, keep January 1 and November 15 in view. This isn’t tax advice; for your own situation, ask a tax professional or the Board of Assessors at (912) 652-7271. Georgia’s statewide rules are in our guide to relocating to coastal Georgia.
Comparing homes around Chatham County? Get in touch and we’ll help you work the tax bill into the search.