How to read your 2026 Georgia assessment notice

Georgia redesigned the Annual Notice of Assessment statewide for 2026. Many homeowners glance at it, see no dollar amount for taxes, and set it aside — which is exactly how a value increase slips through. Here is how to read it.

The notice date — the most important number

Find the date the notice was mailed. Your 45-day appeal window counts from this date. Circle it. Everything else is secondary to this deadline.

Current year fair market value

This is the county’s opinion of what your home is worth as of January 1. Your taxes are based on 40% of this number (the assessed value). Compare this year’s value to last year’s — a jump with no improvements to your home is the classic sign of an over-assessment.

Why there may be no tax bill

The 2026 notice often shows no estimated tax, because millage (tax) rates are set later in the year. Do not let the missing dollar figure fool you — a higher value now means a higher bill later. The time to challenge the value is now, during the 45-day window, not when the bill arrives.

Exemptions

Confirm your homestead exemption and any senior, disability, or veteran exemptions are listed. A missing exemption is its own correctable problem.

The reason for any change

If your value changed, the notice states a reason (e.g. “appraisal characteristics changed/corrected”). If nothing about your home actually changed, that is a strong basis to request the county’s records and appeal.