State-funded relief is designed to reduce property tax bills for qualifying homeowners, not provide direct payments.
GEORGIA — November 2, 2026 — The Georgia Department of Revenue will begin distributing funds to local governments this week through the state’s 2026 Homeowner Tax Relief Grant program, according to an announcement shared Monday by Governor Brian Kemp.
The announcement marks the next step in implementing the state-funded property tax relief program approved earlier this year. In the statement, Kemp credited the Georgia General Assembly for working with his administration to provide property tax relief to homeowners as part of the state’s affordability efforts.
How the Tax Relief Works
The 2026 Property Tax Relief Grant provides qualifying Georgia homeowners with an additional $18,000 reduction in the assessed value of their homestead for purposes of calculating eligible property taxes.
However, the $18,000 figure does not represent a payment to homeowners or a guaranteed amount of tax savings. Instead, the reduction lowers the portion of a home’s assessed value subject to certain property tax levies. Actual savings depend on the applicable millage rates and the homeowner’s existing exemptions.
For example, an $18,000 reduction applied to an eligible tax levy of 10 mills would produce $180 in property tax savings. A qualifying levy of 15 mills would produce $270 in savings. These are examples only and do not represent confirmed savings for Jeff Davis County property owners.
The state distributes the grant funds to local taxing authorities, which are responsible for applying the appropriate credits to qualifying homeowners’ property tax bills. Under the Georgia Department of Revenue’s guidelines, local officials calculate the credits, submit the required information to the state and apply the reductions to eligible property tax liabilities.
Homeowners will not receive a check or direct deposit. Instead, the tax relief is reflected as a reduction on their property tax bills.
The grant generally applies to qualifying owner-occupied homesteads with a valid homestead exemption for the applicable tax year. Rental properties and second homes that do not qualify as homesteads are not eligible.
The credit also cannot exceed the homeowner’s eligible property tax liability. Homeowners who already owe no qualifying property taxes will not receive an additional payment.
The program is a one-time grant for the 2026 tax year and is separate from Georgia’s regular homestead exemptions.
For homeowners in Jeff Davis County and the City of Hazlehurst, Monday’s announcement means the state is beginning the process of sending the appropriated funds to local governments. However, the statewide announcement does not establish when Jeff Davis County or the City of Hazlehurst will receive their individual allocations.
Hazlehurst Now has not yet confirmed the amount of grant funding allocated locally, the number of qualifying households or the average savings homeowners can expect. Residents should review their property tax bills to determine whether the credit has been applied.
Anyone with questions about their eligibility or an individual property tax bill should contact the Jeff Davis County Tax Commissioner’s Office or the appropriate local taxing authority.
The Georgia Department of Revenue has published a detailed explanation of the 2026 Property Tax Relief Grant, including eligibility requirements, how credits are calculated and how local governments receive funding.
Official Georgia Department of Revenue information and FAQs:
https://dor.georgia.gov/2026-property-tax-relief-grant
The program is intended to provide one-time relief on qualifying 2026 property tax bills. It does not eliminate property taxes or change the millage rates established by local governments.
