By now, Gwinnett County residents should have received their annual assessment notices with the appraised value of their homes. These assessments are not bills and there is nothing to pay at this time, but it is important to note that these appraisals will be used to calculate 2024 property taxes.
After the county, the school system and the city set tax rates (“millage rates”) later this year, the actual tax bill will come in the fall. Here are some tips to help minimize your property tax bill this year.
1. If you believe your appraisal is inaccurate, you can appeal the valuation within 45 days of the date of the notice. You can do this online or you can hire a firm to represent you. Even if your appeal results in no change to the valuation, simply filing an appeal freezes the appraised value for the next three years and keeps your property taxes lower for that period.
2. If you’re over 65 and earn less than $117,000 per year, you are eligible for the Senior School Tax Exemption, which waives 100% of Gwinnett school taxes. You can apply to reduce your school taxes to zero here.
3. For county taxes (but not school taxes), even if your valuation is higher, your county taxes will not increase unless the Board of Commissioners votes to increase the millage rate. This is because of the Value Offset Exemption (VOE) Gwinnett County has had since 2001. The VOE means the taxable value of property is frozen as of the date you get your homestead exemption. (Homestead exemptions only apply to your primary residence).
With the Gwinnett VOE, the value of your primary residence remains fixed as long as you live in the house. You can confirm that you have a homestead exemption (and VOE) on your property by looking at the Exemption and Credits section of your 2023 property tax bill here.
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners has kept the millage rate flat for the past four years and the Gwinnett Board of Education voted in 2022 to decrease the school millage rate to the lowest in ten years.
This information was sourced from Peachtree Corners Councilman Eric Christ’s monthly digital newsletter. Sign up for his email list here.
