FAQs
Tax FAQs
Can I pay the full year’s taxes up front?
No. The city does not know how much your second installment tax bill will be each year until October 20.
Do I have homestead exemption?
Look at the exemptions column of your tax bill. You have the basic homestead exemption if a figure of $40,000 is in the exemptions column on three rows of your bill. If you have all zeroes in the exemptions column, you do not have the basic homestead exemption. If you have school-related exemptions, the school line item on your tax bill will show reduced or no school taxes, but you will continue owing taxes for the school bond line item.
If you’re not sure what age-based homestead exemptions you have, please call 404-370-4100 or visit City Hall for help. Visit: decaturga.com/homestead for more information and links to exemption applications.
Do I have to have a PayPal account to pay online?
No. You'll notice their logo on our website because PayPal is our payment processor, but a PayPal account is not required to pay online. You can pay by Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express, e-check, etc.
Do you accept memo bills?
No. The city no longer accept payments with summary bills or statements that are created in-house by law firms or banks. All payments made by check must include the remittance coupon provided with the paper bill (or e-bill from decaturgatax.com) to ensure timely and accurate posting of your payment. Checks must include the property ID and the tax year for which the payment is being made.
How do I appeal my property value?
Through the DeKalb County tax assessors office. All properties in Decatur are assessed by the county. The city has no assessor, appraiser, influence, expertise, or authority over assessments. The city receives values from the county and is bound by those values for tax purposes.
How do I check property taxes?
You can pull City tax records, print a bill or receipt, or make a tax payment with a 2.5% plus 30¢ third-party processing fee online at www.decaturgatax.com.
How do I know if a property is inside Decatur’s city limits or is located in unincorporated DeKalb County?
There are thousands of properties with Decatur mailing addresses that are actually located outside of Decatur’s city limits in unincorporated DeKalb County. Properties in unincorporated DeKalb County do not receive services from the City of Decatur and are not subject to city taxes. About 99 percent of residences in Decatur’s city limits have a ZIP code of 30030, and about 90 percent of properties in Decatur have 3-digit street numbers. If you have a ZIP code other than 30030, or a 4-digit street number, there’s a fair chance that you’re not actually in the city. You can look at a map here, or search for the property on the DeKalb County tax commissioner’s website to confirm whether you are within city limits. If the property is in tax district 4, it’s in unincorporated DeKalb County. Tax district 92 is Decatur.
How long should it take for my tax payment to post?
That will depend partly on where your payment was mailed. In general, even for in-person payments, please allow 7-10 business days before your payment is applied to your account. The city honors postmarks, so don’t worry about additional interest accruing if you mailed your payment in on time.
How much will my next tax bill be?
For a first installment tax bill, the city will have your tax bill calculated by April 1. For a 2nd installment, the city will know by October 20. The city cannot provide any official numbers earlier than that because your taxable value or the millage rates could change.
I appealed my taxes with DeKalb. Now what?
We bill you using a temporary value, usually 85 percent of the assessed value, as assigned by DeKalb County in accordance with state laws on calculating temporary values. We also factor in Decatur's 50 percent assessment compared to DeKalb's 40 percent assessment. Your Decatur assessed value will always be 25 percent higher than your DeKalb assessed value, even when being billed on a temporary appeal value, because of the difference in assessment ratios between the city and county. Your city tax payment remains due while your appeal is being processed by DeKalb. Upon the conclusion of your appeal, you may end up owing the city the remaining 15% or whatever the difference was between the temporary and settled values. In other words, you could end up owing money even after winning an appeal.
I provided a new mailing address to your office. Why isn’t it showing on your website?
Please allow one week after you’ve notified the city of changes in ownership or mailing addresses to be updated. Also, please be aware that our ownership and mailing information is overridden each time we receive updated data from DeKalb County. DeKalb County maintains the official legal records including property recording, deeds, and tax digests. If you don’t notify the county of your updated information, the county’s old information will eventually override the information you’ve given the city.
If Decatur only bills for sanitation and stormwater during the 1st installment, why are these fees showing up on my 2nd installment bill? Aren’t you double-charging me?
No. The 2nd installment bill is always a re-statement of the entire bill for the year, including all taxes, fees, and payments made over the course of the year. The sanitation and stormwater charges are re-printed on your 2nd installment bill so that you know what the total year’s charges and payments have been, but you’re only being charged for these fees once per year.
What if I never got a bill and my taxes are past due?
Unless you’ve signed up for electronic notifications, we mail paper bills to every property owner twice a year. If we get mail returned, we research it and re-mail your bill either to the property address or alternate addresses that we find. The city acknowledges that unusual circumstances may cause you not to receive a bill, but failure to receive a bill does not relieve you of your obligation to pay. Taxes are always due on June 1 and Dec. 20.
If you haven’t received your paper bill, you can access it online at www.decaturgatax.com. We also offer a grace period with each billing. If taxes remain unpaid after the grace period, the unpaid amount is subject to interest and penalties. Ultimately, it is your responsibility as a property owner to ensure your taxes are paid.
What if I received a business personal property tax bill, but I’ve closed my business or sold the property?
Taxes must be paid for the full year regardless of any change in the residency of the taxpayer or disposition of the property that occurred after Jan. 1. The taxes cannot be pro-rated or waived even if your business has closed midway through the year. Business personal property taxes are totally different and separate from business licenses and occupation taxes.
What is the penalty if I pay late?
Up until 2017, a 10 percent penalty and 1 percent interest monthly are applied to any unpaid balances. For 2017 going forward, a 5 percent penalty and variable interest rate are charged in accordance with a state formula. Additional collection fees will apply if your account remains delinquent.
What types of payment do you accept?
You can pay with a check by mail or in person, cash in person, or by credit card online.
If you are paying off a tax lien or replacing a bounced check, we accept only cash or cashier’s check.
When are taxes due?
We bill in two, unequal installments per year. Payment is due on June 1 and December 20.
Where do I mail my tax payment?
City of Decatur
P.O. Box 945650
Atlanta, GA 30394-5650
Where is my refund?
If an overpayment is made on your property, the city refunds the entity that made the last payment that resulted in the credit. For example, if you paid, then your mortgage company paid, the city would refund the mortgage company. Issuing refunds may take three to four weeks after the check that caused the overpayment cleared the bank before the city mails a refund check.
Who do I contact about my tax assessment, my appeal, my water bill, my landlord, my marriage license, or the public defender’s office?
DeKalb County at 404-371-2000.
Why am I charged a processing fee to pay by credit card?
The City uses a third party payment processor for credit card payments. This fee is charged by the processor. You can pay by check or cash with no extra charge.
Why are taxes in Decatur higher than DeKalb?
The City of Decatur is known for high-quality services to its residents. DeKalb County property taxes for residents within the City of Decatur are lower than City taxes because the City provides more services to residents than the county does. Also, about 60 percent of your city tax bill goes toward the city school system.
Why did my tax bill go up?
Individual circumstances will vary. Generally speaking, 1st installment tax bills are higher than 2nd installments because the city bills for sanitation and stormwater fees during 1st installments only. City millage rates have been fairly consistent over the last few years, so any other dramatic changes in your bill are probably due to a change in your assessed value from DeKalb County. Please check with DeKalb if you don’t understand why your assessed value has increased. To see an example of how we calculate bills, visit our general information page.
Will the second installment property tax bill be the same amount as the first installment?
No.
