Cobb County homestead exemption: what it saves, who qualifies and how to file by April 1

What the Cobb homestead exemption is worth on an Acworth home

Cobb's basic homestead exemption is $10,000 of assessed value, applied to two of the lines on your Cobb bill. At 2026 rates it removes:

On Zillow's August 2026 Acworth typical value of $406,860, that takes a first-year bill inside the city limits from $6,360.03 to $6,088.43. The full line-by-line bill, and the version for unincorporated Acworth, is on our Cobb County property tax guide.

The floating exemption is where the real savings build

Cobb's bill calls it the Taxpayer Reassessment Relief Act; most people call it the floating homestead exemption. Each time the assessors raise a homesteaded home's value, the exemption rises by the same amount on the county general line, so that part of your tax does not climb from reassessment alone. On Cobb's 2025 sample bill it had reached $25,500 on top of the $10,000 basic amount.

A worked example of the floating exemption

Suppose, purely as an illustration, the assessors raise your home's market value by $20,000 in a later year. Assessed value rises by $8,000 (40%). The floating exemption grows by the same $8,000 on the county general line, so you avoid $67.68 of county tax (8,000 x 8.46 / 1,000). Inside the city, Acworth's own floating exemption avoids another $71.60 (8,000 x 8.95 / 1,000). The school and fire lines are not covered, so they still rise by $173.36 (8,000 x 21.67 / 1,000).

Who qualifies in Cobb

Cobb tests each condition on January 1 of the tax year.

You own the home on January 1

A home you close on in March does not qualify for that year, however quickly you move in.

It is your primary legal residence

You must live in the home and claim it as your legal residence. Rental property does not qualify, and neither does a second home.

You claim no homestead anywhere else

One homestead per person and one per married couple. You cannot hold one in Cobb if you or your spouse claims a homestead in another county or state.

Everyone applying is on the deed

Cobb asks you to confirm that every applicant is named on the deed, and to apply only for exemptions you actually qualify for.

Every exemption you can claim in Cobb

Extra exemptions stack on the basic one when you qualify; all are filed with the Cobb Tax Commissioner.

The statewide dollar amounts behind the veteran and surviving spouse exemptions are on our Georgia homestead exemption guide.

City of Acworth exemptions come through Cobb

Inside Acworth city limits you get a second bill from the city, but you do not file twice. Cobb's exemptions page tells city residents to apply with their city's tax office, but the City of Acworth says its exemptions are granted automatically once Cobb approves yours.

Acworth's floating exemption

Anyone granted the Cobb homestead gets Acworth's Taxpayer Reassessment Relief Act exemption on the city bill. It equals the increase in assessed value since your homestead was granted, so it is zero in your first year and grows as values rise. Acworth lists no flat-dollar basic exemption of its own.

Acworth senior and disability exemptions

Owners over 62 with net income of no more than $10,000, not counting Social Security and retirement income, get a $4,000 exemption on city taxes. The city's own example: a $100,000 home is assessed at $40,000; less $4,000 leaves $36,000; at 8.95 mills the city tax is $322.20. Owners with a disability and net income of no more than $12,000 get $22,000. Veterans' disability and military surviving spouse exemptions also carry over from Cobb.

How to file for the Cobb homestead exemption

Step 1: check the names on your deed

Everyone who applies should be on the recorded deed. If a name is missing or misspelled, raise it with your closing attorney before you file.

Step 2: update your license and vehicles

Cobb asks for a Georgia driver's license showing the new home's address, as proof of Cobb and Georgia residency, and a current registration or tax receipt for every vehicle you own showing Cobb motor vehicle taxes paid (O.C.G.A. 48-5-444). Update both to the new address first.

Step 3: apply online or on paper

The Tax Commissioner's online application is the quickest route; it is offline daily from 3 to 6 a.m. You can also file a paper application in person at any Cobb Tax Commissioner property office, including the West Cobb office in Acworth, or by mail.

Step 4: keep the confirmation

Online filers get a confirmation email with a filing ID, then a processing email and later a Homestead Receipt. Save all three. The Board of Assessors gives final approval.

Step 5: check that it posted

When your next bill or the Tax Commissioner's property search shows the homestead exemption, you are done. A denial can be appealed to the Board of Equalization under O.C.G.A. 48-5-311. Inside the city, you can ask the City of Acworth at 770-917-8903 to confirm its exemptions posted after Cobb's approval.

The April 1 deadline, and why it is firm

Apply by April 1 for the current tax year. A mailed application must carry a USPS postmark dated by April 1; metered and kiosk postmarks are not accepted. Missing the date waives the exemption for that year, and Cobb's Board of Tax Assessors says it has no authority to extend homestead deadlines, a point courts have confirmed.

Bought a home mid-year? Here is what to do

File as soon as you have the deed, license and registration

The state lets you apply any time during the prior year, up to April 1, so there is no reason to wait for the next January.

The 2026 bill reflects the seller's exemptions

The bill for the year you buy is issued to the January 1 owner and carries whatever exemptions the seller had. The tax office does not split it; your closing attorney settles each side's share at closing.

The 2026 relief credit is not yours

House Bill 439 gave a one-time $18,000 reduction in assessed value on 2026 bills, but only for homesteads filed by April 1, 2026. A buyer who closed after January 1, 2026 could not have one on file, so any credit on that bill came through the seller's homestead. Ask your closing attorney how the proration treated it.

Your floating exemption starts from zero

Cobb's and Acworth's floating exemptions measure increases since your homestead was granted. The seller's built-up amount ends with the sale, so your first homesteaded bill can be well above what the seller paid.

HB 581 in Cobb and Acworth: who opted out

Georgia's 2024 law created a statewide floating exemption that limits yearly increases in a homestead's taxable value to inflation, and let local governments opt out by March 1, 2025. How it works statewide is explained on our Georgia homestead exemption guide. Locally:

Cobb County government: opted out

Cobb gave notice on January 14, 2025, with hearings on January 28, February 11 and February 25, saying its existing floating exemption benefits taxpayers more. WABE lists Cobb's county commission among the jurisdictions that opted out.

Cobb County School District: opted out

The district cited an estimated $43 million funding cut and held hearings on February 6 and 13, 2025. Cobb's 2025 tax bill prints a statement that the Board of Education chose to opt out of HB 581 relief.

City of Acworth: intent reported, final vote not found

In January 2025 the Cobb County Courier reported that the City of Acworth, along with Cobb County, Marietta City Schools, Marietta, Kennesaw and Powder Springs, announced its intent to opt out. We found no record of Acworth's final vote. To check, look for a bold opt-out notice on the city bill (a 2025 law, HB 92, requires opted-out jurisdictions to print one) or ask the city's finance office. Acworth's own floating exemption applies either way.

What changes from 2027

Senate Bill 33, signed in May 2026, bars local governments and school districts from opting out of the inflation cap. A secondary source, Ownwell, reports that the mandatory cap starts in 2027. A constitutional challenge has been raised, so check how it applies to your Cobb bill when 2027 notices arrive.

Renewal, changes and penalties

Once approved, the exemption renews automatically each year while you live in the home under the same ownership. You reapply only after a change in ownership or residence, after a name or ownership change from marriage, death or divorce (with the recorded deed, marriage certificate or divorce decree), or to qualify for a larger exemption such as the age 62 school exemption.

Claims are checked. A false statement is a misdemeanor and the home is taxed at double the tax otherwise due (O.C.G.A. 48-5-51), and claiming a homestead on more than one property brings penalties and interest on the tax saved.

Mistakes that cost new Cobb owners a year of savings

• Assuming the seller's exemption carries over. It ends with the sale; you file your own.
• Waiting for the first tax bill. File right after closing instead.
• Mailing with a metered postmark on March 31. Only a USPS postmark counts.
• Leaving the license or car registration at the old address. Those are the proof of residency Cobb asks for.
• Filing with the city instead of Cobb. Inside Acworth, the Cobb filing carries the city exemptions with it.
• Keeping the exemption after the home becomes a rental. A homestead must be your residence.

The full list of what to do in your first months of ownership is on our first-time home buyer checklist. I can help you line up the paperwork so the April 1 filing is ready the week you close.

Common questions

Sources

• Cobb County Tax Commissioner: Exemptions - Property Taxes
• Cobb County Tax Commissioner: 2026 Millage Rates of Cobb County Bills
• Cobb County Tax Commissioner: Understanding Your Tax Bill 2025
• Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors: FAQs
• Cobb County Tax Commissioner: Property FAQs
• City of Acworth: Finance and Property Tax FAQ
• Cobb County: Statement on Notice to Opt Out of Homestead Exemption
• Cobb County School District: Intent to Opt Out of Homestead Exemption
• Cobb County Courier: Cobb County School District to opt out of HB 581 homestead exemption (January 2025)
• WABE: Georgia Gov. Kemp signs bill allowing local bodies to rescind opting out of statewide homestead tax exemption (April 2, 2025)
• WABE: Georgia governor signs income, property tax reduction laws (May 11, 2026)
• Ownwell: What Georgia's HOME Act (Senate Bill 33) Means for Your Property Taxes (June 2026)
• Georgia Department of Revenue: Property Tax Homestead Exemptions
• Georgia Department of Revenue: 2026 Property Tax Relief Grant
• Georgia.gov: Apply for a Homestead Exemption
• Zillow Research: Zillow Home Value Index (Acworth, August 2026)