Forsyth County Homestead, School Tax Exemption Deadline Set for April 1

Forsyth County homeowners have less than three weeks to file for homestead exemptions and the Age 65 school tax exemption before the April 1 deadline, after which any application received will not be processed until the 2027 tax year.

The Forsyth County Board of Assessors distributed the public reminder on March 11, 2026, specifying that Wednesday, April 1 is the cutoff to receive either exemption on this year's property tax bill. The county's notice draws a clear line: miss that date, and the savings wait another full year.

To qualify, a homeowner must have owned the property, resided on it, and been a legal resident of Forsyth County as of January 1 of the tax year. The county defines legal resident as someone registered to vote or registered to register their vehicles in Forsyth County. Homeowners cannot hold a homestead exemption at any other address in Forsyth County or in any other county or state. Married couples who own more than one home face an additional restriction: "If you and your spouse own more than one home, you CANNOT claim multiple exemptions, even if one house is in your name and the other is in your spouses name," the county's notice states.

The deadline rules differ slightly depending on the type of exemption. Non-income based exemptions can technically be applied for year-round, but must be submitted by April 1 to take effect for the current tax year. Income-based exemptions carry a narrower window entirely: the county only accepts those applications between January 2 and April 1 each year. Applicants filing for any income-based homestead must bring a copy of their current year's federal income tax return, a Social Security benefit statement, any 1099 retirement statements, and IRA and interest statements. Those who do not file an income tax return are still required to submit all other listed documents.

Regular homestead and Age 65+ homestead applications can be submitted online or in person. Specialized exemptions and all other homestead types must be filed in person at the Forsyth County Board of Tax Assessors, located at 110 East Main Street, Suite 260, in Cumming. Two additional in-person options exist: the Forsyth County Tax Commissioner's Cumming Office at 1092 Tribble Gap Rd and the Tax Commissioner's Sharon Springs Office at 1950 Sharon Rd, Cumming, GA 30041. All three offices operate Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.

One point of potential confusion worth clarifying with county officials: the Georgia Department of Revenue states that taxpayers "can now apply for the homestead exemption beyond the historic deadline of April 1st," allowing applications up to the end of a 45-day window to appeal a notice of assessment. Forsyth County's own published notice makes no mention of that allowance and explicitly states that any application received after April 1 will be held until the next tax year. Homeowners uncertain about which policy governs their situation should contact the Forsyth County Board of Assessors or Tax Commissioner directly before assuming a later filing option is available.

Forsyth County has implemented local homestead exemptions above the state baseline, a category the Georgia Department of Revenue identifies as generally more beneficial to homeowners. Full details on those local exemption amounts are available through the Board of Assessors, which the county and the state both recommend contacting for the complete list of available exemptions.