Appeals

Who should I talk to about my appeal?
Appeals are handled by the Tax Assessor’s Office.  If you have questions regarding the status of your appeal, contact the Gwinnett County Board of Assessors at 770-822-7200 or visit www.Gwinnett-Assessor.com to check the status online.

I filed an appeal. What does that mean for my bill?
If our office has already received the final value for your property from the Board of Assessors at the time of your initial tax bill, your bill will reflect that final value.
If your value is still under appeal when we send your tax bill, you will receive a bill with specific messaging indicating this status.  This bill is a temporary amount that is due by the date shown on the bill.  You will receive a second bill once the appeal is final.  The second bill may result in a refund or an additional amount due. 

How is the bill amount determined when a property is still under appeal?
Under Georgia law, pending appeal bills are calculated at 85% of the current year assessment or 100% of the prior year assessment, whichever is less. 
For example, if the current year assessed value prior to appeal is $100,000, your pending appeal bill will reflect an $85,000 assessed value unless last year’s assessed value was less than $85,000.  If last year’s assessed value was $50,000, it would be based on an assessed value of $50,000.

Does that mean my assessed value could be lowered as a result of the appeal and I would still have a balance due on a second bill?
Yes, if your current year assessed value is reduced as a result of the appeal, but not below the assessed value reflected on your “appeal pending” bill, you will have an additional amount due when the second bill is issued.  This is fairly common because the initial appeal bills are issued at less than 100% of the current year assessed value.

Can I get a bill at 100% of the current year assessment value?
Yes, our office can issue a pending appeal bill at 100% of the current year assessment value if it is requested by a taxpayer. You can make this request with the Tax Assessor’s office at the time you file your appeal.

Is my bill due by the due date if my property is under appeal?
Yes, the pending appeal bill must be paid by the due date shown to avoid penalties and interest.

My mortgage company pays my bill. What does this mean for me?
If you have an escrow account, be sure to notify your mortgage company if additional tax is due.  While our office makes property tax information available to mortgage companies, we do not send them a bill directly.  It is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that the property taxes are paid.  Do not assume that your mortgage company will pay the additional amount due.

When will I receive my refund?
When a finalized appeal results in a refund the overpaid amount is returned to the payer in approximately 4-6 weeks.  If the initial bill was paid by a third party, such as a mortgage company, they will receive the refund.