Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does AppealAlly cost?

Our Full-Service Appeal costs $0 upfront. Our fee is 30% of your first-year tax savings, charged only if we win, plus a one-time $25 fee if the county grants Georgia's 3-year freeze. If your actual first-year savings turn out lower than our estimate, send us your tax bill and we'll refund the difference.

How much does it cost to appeal property taxes in Georgia?

Filing the PT-311A with your County Board of Tax Assessors is free. There is no filing fee at the Board of Equalization stage, and only a $25 fee if a case is later certified to Superior Court. What costs money is help preparing and filing the appeal. With AppealAlly's Full-Service Appeal, you pay $0 upfront, and we prepare your evidence and file your appeal as your authorized agent. Our fee is 30% of your first-year tax savings, charged only if we win, plus a one-time $25 fee if the county grants Georgia's 3-year freeze. If your actual first-year savings turn out lower than our estimate, send us your tax bill and we'll refund the difference.

What if my Full-Service appeal doesn't save enough to justify the 30% fee?

Our 30% fee applies only if we reduce your assessed value, and it scales with your savings: for example, $200 in first-year savings means a $60 fee. If the county grants Georgia's 3-year freeze, a one-time $25 freeze fee is added, for $85 in total, and you keep 100% of the savings in years two and three. On a very small reduction, the $25 freeze fee can be more than your first-year savings, but the freeze protects the lower value for two more years. If we do not reduce your assessed value, you owe no 30% fee. See our pricing terms.

Are there any hidden fees with AppealAlly?

No surprise fees. Full Service is $0 upfront. Our fee is 30% of your first-year tax savings, charged only if we win, plus a one-time $25 fee if the county grants Georgia's 3-year freeze. If your actual first-year savings turn out lower than our estimate, send us your tax bill and we'll refund the difference. All fees are disclosed before you sign up. No subscriptions, no renewal fees, no surprise invoices.

What if I do not win my appeal?

Our Full-Service Appeal fee is contingent: if we do not reduce your assessed value, you owe no 30% fee. If we do, it is 30% of your first-year savings, estimated from the effective tax rate on the most recent tax bill we have for your property, or from your county's published tax rate if we have no usable bill. If your actual first-year savings turn out lower, send us your tax bill and we'll refund the difference. A one-time $25 freeze fee applies if the county grants Georgia's 3-year freeze, and it can be more than your first-year savings.

When am I billed for Full-Service?

You pay $0 upfront. When you sign up, you add a card, which our payment processor, Stripe, stores securely; nothing is charged then. We charge it only after your county decides your appeal: our 30% fee if the county reduces your assessed value, calculated from the effective tax rate on the most recent tax bill we have for your property from the two tax years before the year under appeal (or your county's published tax rate when we have no usable bill from those years), and the one-time $25 freeze fee if the county grants the 3-year freeze. If the county neither reduces your value nor grants the freeze, we charge nothing. You are billed after your county's decision, which can take from a few weeks to several months or longer after we file, depending on your county and whether your appeal goes to a Board of Equalization hearing.

How is the 30% fee calculated?

The fee is 30% of your first-year tax savings. First-year savings means the assessed value reduction we win multiplied by your property's effective tax rate. We take that rate from the most recent tax bill we have for your property from the two tax years before the year under appeal: its total tax divided by its assessed value. When we have no usable bill from those years (one showing an assessed value and a total tax that are both above zero), we use your county's published tax rate. Example: if your reduction creates an estimated $699 of first-year savings, our fee is roughly $210, plus a one-time $25 fee if the county grants Georgia's 3-year freeze. You keep about 70% of the estimated year-one savings (less the $25 freeze fee when it applies) and 100% of years two and three when the freeze applies. If your actual first-year savings turn out lower than our estimate, send us your tax bill and we'll refund the difference.

Does AppealAlly cost less than a tax attorney?

It depends on your case. Tax attorneys typically bill by the hour and often require an upfront retainer. AppealAlly's Full-Service Appeal costs $0 upfront: 30% of first-year savings, charged only if we win, plus a one-time $25 fee if the county grants the 3-year freeze. Attorneys add value for commercial property, multi-parcel disputes, or Superior Court appeals. For a residential appeal at the Board of Equalization, AppealAlly prepares the property-specific evidence and handles the appeal for you at the published price.

How long does it take to start my appeal?

Start your appeal in about 3 minutes. With Full Service, we file it with your county for you as your authorized agent.

What happens after I file my appeal?

After you file your appeal, your county Board of Tax Assessors reviews it and may offer you a lower value at this stage. The assessors have 180 days to respond unless the period is extended. If they keep your value, your appeal moves on automatically to the Board of Equalization, with nothing more for you to file. If they change your value and you still disagree, you have 30 days from the date the change notice was mailed to continue your appeal in writing.

What happens if my county rejects my appeal?

If you chose the Board of Equalization when you filed (the default, and the choice on the appeal forms AppealAlly prepares) and the Board of Assessors keeps your value, your appeal automatically advances to the county Board of Equalization for a hearing, at no additional cost. The Board of Equalization is a three-member panel of citizens who review your evidence independently. When you file, you can instead choose non-binding arbitration (for disputes about value only; you pay for your own certified appraisal, and you also pay the arbitrator's fee if the arbitrator's value ends up closer to the county's than to yours) or, for qualifying property such as non-homestead real property with a fair market value over $500,000, a hearing officer; those appeals follow the route you chose. Across 20,229 Gwinnett County appeals from the 2025 tax year, 82.2% of closed appeals received a reduction, most of them resolved with the Board of Assessors before any hearing, and the median reduction among those that won was $15,600 in fair market value (source: Gwinnett County Board of Assessors FOIA release). In a real property appeal, the Board of Equalization, hearing officer, or arbitrator cannot raise the value above the county assessors' figure. The one exception is a value already frozen by an earlier appeal: on an appeal filed during that freeze, the Board is not capped and could raise it.

How soon will I receive a decision?

The county assessors have 180 days to review your appeal unless the period is extended. If your case goes to a hearing, decisions typically happen immediately during or just after the hearing. The written decision usually follows by mail. Exact timelines vary by county.

How long does a Georgia property tax appeal take?

Timing depends on your county and on how far your appeal goes, from a few weeks to several months or longer. The county Board of Tax Assessors has 180 days to review your appeal; a county with an unusually high number of appeals can get more time, and it must notify you if it does. If the assessors make no change to your value, your appeal moves automatically to the Board of Equalization, and hearing dates vary by county. If they change your value and you still disagree, you have 30 days from the date the change notice was mailed to continue your appeal in writing. You may receive a temporary tax bill while the appeal is pending. It is based on the lower of your value from the last year whose taxes were finally determined (usually last year) or 85% of this year's value. A homestead with new structural improvements, such as an addition, is billed at 85% of this year's value instead. Pay it on time to avoid penalties. After your appeal resolves, the county settles the difference: any overpayment is refunded with interest, and if the temporary bill covered less than your final value the county sends one more bill for the remainder.

What is the Board of Equalization versus arbitration?

When you file your appeal, you choose where it goes if the county does not settle it. The Board of Equalization (BOE) is the default: a three-member panel of local citizens hears your case at no cost, and you can take its decision to Superior Court if you disagree. Arbitration is an alternative for disputes about value only: it is non-binding, it requires a certified appraisal of your property that you pay for, and you may owe the arbitrator's fee if the county's value is closer to the arbitrator's finding. A hearing officer is a third option for non-homestead real property, such as a rental or second home, with a fair market value over $500,000; a homestead never qualifies. Most Georgia homeowners choose the BOE because it has no out-of-pocket cost. In Gwinnett County's 2025 tax year, 82.2% of closed appeals received a reduction, most of them settled with the Board of Assessors before any hearing (source: Gwinnett County Board of Assessors FOIA release of 20,229 appeals).

Can multiple owners sign one appeal form?

Yes, but one owner's signature is enough. Georgia law lets any owner file the appeal, and the state PT-311A form has one signature line, for an owner or an agent. If someone who is not an owner signs for you, include a letter of authorization; the state form does not require notarization. Your county may have its own requirements, so follow any instructions on your notice.

Do all Georgia counties allow online property tax appeals?

No, but every county accepts the statewide PT-311A form by mail or in person. Larger counties including Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, and DeKalb also offer online appeal portals, and some accept emailed PDF submissions. Many smaller and rural counties are still paper-only, though some accept appeals online or by email. Because the mailed PT-311A is valid statewide, you never have to depend on a county portal being available. With our Full-Service Appeal, we handle the filing channel for you in every Georgia county we serve.

What is a property tax appeal?

A property tax appeal is a formal request asking your county to lower your home's assessed value. If the county agrees, your property tax bill decreases. Every homeowner has the legal right to appeal. AppealAlly provides the evidence and forms you need to file a strong case.

Who can file a property tax appeal?

Any property owner, authorized agent, or attorney can file an appeal. In Georgia, the right to appeal is protected under O.C.G.A. § 48-5-311. You do not need a lawyer. Homeowners can file on their own using comparable sales evidence.

What do I need to file a property tax appeal?

You need your assessment notice, a completed appeal form (such as Georgia's PT-311A), and evidence that your home is overvalued, typically a set of comparable sales. With AppealAlly's Full-Service Appeal, we prepare the appeal form and the property-specific evidence and file them for you as your authorized agent.

Is there a filing fee to appeal property taxes in Georgia?

No. Filing a property tax appeal with your Georgia county is free. There is no filing fee for the county appeal and no cost to advance from the Board of Assessors to the Board of Equalization. Costs arise only if you choose arbitration, which requires a certified appraisal at your own expense and makes you responsible for the arbitrator's fees if the arbitrator's value lands closer to the county's value than to yours, or if you later appeal to Superior Court, which has a $25 filing fee. With our Full-Service Appeal, we prepare the property-specific evidence and the PT-311A and file your appeal as your authorized agent. Our fee is 30% of your first-year tax savings, charged only if we win, plus a one-time $25 fee if the county grants Georgia's 3-year freeze. If your actual first-year savings turn out lower than our estimate, send us your tax bill and we'll refund the difference.

Is this even legal? Do I have the right to appeal in Georgia?

Yes. Every Georgia property owner has a statutory right to appeal their annual assessment under O.C.G.A. § 48-5-311. The county is required by law to mail you an annual Notice of Assessment, and that notice must list your right to appeal and the 45-day deadline. You can appeal on grounds of value, uniformity, taxability, or denial of an exemption. The Board of Equalization hears all of these. For a dispute about value only, you can choose non-binding arbitration instead (you supply a certified appraisal at your own cost), and a hearing officer is available for non-homestead real property with a fair market value over $500,000. In a real property appeal, such as one on your home, the Board of Equalization, a hearing officer, or an arbitrator can lower the value but cannot raise it, unless the value is already frozen from an earlier appeal. Filing is your right, not a favor.

Will my property taxes go up if I lose the appeal?

Losing at the Board of Equalization cannot raise your value, with one exception. Under O.C.G.A. § 48-5-311(e)(9), the Board of Equalization, a hearing officer, or an arbitrator deciding a real property appeal, such as one on your home, can lower the value but cannot raise it above the value the county assessors set. The exception is a value already frozen by an earlier appeal, even one a previous owner filed: on an appeal filed while that freeze is in effect, the Board is not capped and could raise the value, so check with your county assessors' office before you appeal a frozen value. That limit applies to the deciding body; the county assessors can still make changes or corrections to your value when they review your appeal. Your tax bill can also change for reasons unrelated to your appeal, such as new tax rates or changes to your exemptions. If you win a reduction, Georgia's "299(c) freeze" (O.C.G.A. § 48-5-299(c)) generally keeps the county from raising the new value for the appeal year and the next two years, subject to a few statutory exceptions. House Bill 581, effective January 1, 2025, narrowed the statute's freeze to appeals that produce an actual reduction.

Do I need a lawyer?

No. Legal representation is optional and usually unnecessary. Most property tax appeals are straightforward and resolved at the initial review stage without an attorney.

When is the deadline to appeal my Georgia property taxes?

You have 45 days from the date your county mailed your annual Notice of Assessment to file an appeal (see our Georgia appeal deadline guide). The clock starts the day the notice was mailed (printed in the upper right corner), not the day you opened the envelope. Miss it and you wait until next year's notice. The deadline cannot be extended for illness, travel, or never receiving the notice. A mailed appeal counts as filed on its USPS postmark date, not the day it arrives, and if your notice prints a last date to appeal, file by that date. Counties mail notices in spring or early summer. State law sets July 1 as the mailing deadline, but some notices, such as corrections, go out later, so deadlines vary by county and parcel.

When is the property tax appeal deadline in Metro Atlanta counties?

Every Georgia county mails its annual assessment notices on its own schedule, and you have 45 days from the date printed on your notice to file a PT-311A appeal. Metro Atlanta counties mail notices in spring or early summer, and the dates shift from year to year, so most appeal deadlines fall in late spring or summer. The 45-day clock starts on the notice date, not the date you receive it in the mail, so the actual deadline can arrive faster than expected. The date printed on your notice controls. Confirm with your county before you file, or check your specific county guide or enter your address for your estimated deadline.

Can I appeal my Georgia property taxes every year?

Yes, you can file an appeal every year your county issues a new assessment notice. You have 45 days from the date printed on the notice to file a PT-311A with the county Board of Assessors. One important exception: if an appeal lowered your value for either of the two previous tax years, whether by a hearing decision or a signed agreement with the county (even one a previous owner obtained), that value is usually frozen under O.C.G.A. section 48-5-299(c) for the year of that appeal and the next two years. A new appeal while the freeze is in effect is rarely worth it, because the Board is not capped on that appeal and could raise your value. Start your appeal analysis to see if your current year assessment justifies an appeal.

What if I miss the 45-day deadline?

Georgia's deadline is 45 days from the date your notice was mailed, and state law makes no provision for late appeals. If you miss it, you will usually have to wait for next year's assessment notice. If you mail your appeal, the postmark date counts as the filing date, so an appeal postmarked by the deadline is on time. Check the date printed on your notice for your exact deadline.

How do you find comparable properties?

We screen recent sales of similar homes near yours and build your case from the closest matches on size, lot, age and location. We also check whether similar homes are assessed for less than yours.

Do I need to gather additional documents or evidence?

Our packet includes the evidence behind every argument we make, but you can strengthen your appeal by attaching additional evidence like recent sales data, home purchase records, property condition photos, repair estimates, and professional appraisals.

What evidence do I need to win a Georgia property tax appeal?

A set of comparable sales of similar homes (same neighborhood, similar size, age, condition) that closed in the 12 months before January 1 of the assessment year. Boards of Equalization in Georgia weight closed sales heaviest. Photos of condition issues (deferred maintenance, structural damage, dated systems) and documentation of factual errors on the county record (wrong square footage, wrong bedroom count, wrong year built) round out a strong packet. Online estimates such as Zillow and Redfin carry little weight with the board. AppealAlly's evidence is built from public records of nearby home sales and assessments so the evidence matches what the board will weigh.

What if I recently purchased my home?

If you recently bought your home on the open market for less than the county's value, your closing disclosure is strong evidence of its market value. Since 2025, Georgia law no longer caps next year's value at your purchase price, so an appeal is how you bring the value in line.

Will an appeal affect my mortgage payments?

A reduced value usually lowers what you owe. If your property taxes are paid through a mortgage escrow account, the change is not instant: your servicer typically applies it at the next annual escrow analysis, and any county refund from an appeal is routed through the servicer first. If you pay the county directly, the refund comes to you. Either way, any additional bill after the appeal is your responsibility: pay it by its due date, or if your taxes are escrowed, send it to your servicer right away and confirm it was paid.

Does a homestead exemption affect my appeal?

No. Appealing your value does not change or remove your homestead exemption.

What is the 3-year property tax freeze in Georgia?

The 3-year freeze is a Georgia taxpayer protection (O.C.G.A. § 48-5-299(c)). When your appeal reduces your home's value from the value on your annual notice, either through a written agreement signed by your county's Board of Tax Assessors and you (or your representative) or through a decision by a Board of Equalization, hearing officer, arbitrator, or Superior Court, the county cannot raise that value for three tax years (the year you appealed plus the next two successive years), unless you and the county agree otherwise in writing. For a reduction decided at a hearing, the freeze does not apply if you or your representative failed to attend the hearing or provide the Board of Equalization, hearing officer, or arbitrator with some written evidence supporting your opinion of value. Counties read that rule differently, and some require attendance. During those years the county can still change the value if an on-site inspection finds substantial changes to the property, errors in its records, or other factors that substantially affect its value. Filing a return at a different value ends the protection, and if you file a new appeal during those years, the Board is not capped on that appeal and could raise the value. House Bill 581, effective January 1, 2025, narrowed the statute so its freeze attaches only when the appeal produces an actual reduction. Before 2025, an unchanged value at a hearing also qualified; the statute no longer covers that case. The statute's 3-year duration is unchanged. If your county records a freeze on a value that did not change, confirm with your county how it applies to future tax years.

How are property tax millage rates set in Georgia?

Georgia property tax bills are calculated by subtracting any exemptions from the assessed value, dividing by 1,000, and multiplying by the total millage rate. Assessed value is 40% of the county's estimate of fair market value under O.C.G.A. section 48-5-7. The millage rate is set each year by three separate taxing authorities: the county commission (for county services), the local school board (usually the largest component), and the city council if the property is inside a municipality. Georgia law sets no year-over-year limit on millage increases beyond any maximum rate fixed by law. Instead, a county, school board, or city that proposes a rate above its rollback rate (the rate that would raise the same revenue from existing property as the year before) must first advertise a Notice of Property Tax Increase, issue a press release, and hold at least three public hearings before adopting it. A successful appeal lowers your assessed value, which usually lowers what you owe, even though the millage rate itself does not change.

How can I track my appeal status?

Full-Service customers can check status in their AppealAlly portal from the link in our emails (if a link has expired, email us and we will send a new one). We update it at each step, from preparing and filing your appeal through the decision. For specific questions, email support@appealally.com or use the contact form.

How do I contact AppealAlly for support?

Email us at support@appealally.com. We typically respond within 1 to 3 business days. You can also visit our contact page for more options.

What counties in Georgia does AppealAlly serve?

All 159 Georgia counties. AppealAlly is Georgia-only by design, which is why our evidence packets are built around the way Georgia Boards of Equalization actually evaluate appeals (40% assessment ratio, 12-month comparable-sales window, O.C.G.A. § 48-5-299(c) freeze rules). If you are outside Georgia, we cannot help you yet. For county-specific deadlines, comparable-sale guidance, and board hearing tips, see our county pages for Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb, Forsyth, Cherokee, Hall, Henry, and the rest.

Where can I find more guidance on property tax appeals?

Visit our blog for guides, tips, and Georgia county resources on property tax appeals.

DIY Appeal Kit (discontinued)

I bought a DIY Appeal Kit. Does my refund guarantee still apply?

Yes. We stopped selling the DIY Appeal Kit on October 21, 2026, and every kit bought before then keeps its guarantee: Full refund if you use our evidence in your appeal and your county does not reduce your assessed value. To request it, email support@appealally.com your decision letter or denial notice within 90 days of your county's final decision.

Can I still get my DIY appeal documents?

Yes. Open the link in the email we sent with your documents to download them and to tell us your county's decision. If the link has expired or you can't find it, email support@appealally.com and we'll send a new one. As with every kit, you file the appeal yourself with your county.

Can I still buy the DIY Appeal Kit?

No. We stopped selling it on October 21, 2026. If you bought one before then, the answers above still apply.