DeKalb Homeowners Will Receive $147 Million Property Tax Cut

Homestead property valued at $375,000 projected to qualify for a $1,438 tax cut

Today, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announced the county’s Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax (EHOST) credit for 2023 will provide $147 million property in tax relief for homeowners who qualify for a homestead exemption. The EHOST has generated more than $591 million in tax relief for DeKalb property owners since 2018.

“DeKalb County is the only Georgia county with a local sales tax that is 100 percent dedicated to property tax relief,” said CEO Thurmond. “Our EHOST property tax relief strategy will be especially helpful to homeowners who are struggling with skyrocketing adjustable-rate mortgage payments.”

Qualified DeKalb County homeowners will receive an Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax (EHOST) credit that reduces or offsets property tax liability.

The amount of property tax relief received by a qualified homeowner is based on the assessed value of the homestead property and sales tax revenue generated by EHOST.

On average, the hypothetical DeKalb County owner of a qualified home valued at $375,000 would receive a 100 percent tax credit of $1,438, effectively eliminating the projected 2023 property tax increase.

When EHOST was approved in 2017, early estimates indicated the total amount of tax relief would be $660 million over the initial six-year period of the tax credit. By the end of this year, total savings from the EHOST will be approximately $738 million.  

The EHOST credit is not applied against taxes levied by DeKalb municipalities, school districts or tax allocation districts.