The Sandy Springs Tax Bill Due October 15 Is an Estimate. Fall Closings Settle It Later.

The 2026 property tax bill that arrived in Sandy Springs mailboxes in August looks like any other year's bill. The difference is how the number was calculated. Fulton County mailed it on August 15 under a Temporary Collection Order that Fulton County Superior Court authorized on August 4. The values come from a preliminary 2026 tax digest, and the rates are each taxing jurisdiction's 2025 millage. Payment is due October 15, 2026. After rates are set, the county says, "a refund or revised tax bill will be issued only as needed."

On a Sandy Springs home that closes between now and the end of the year, this changes what the tax line on the settlement statement means. The figure is a stand-in for a bill that doesn't exist yet. The real 2026 number gets settled after closing, between the buyer and the seller, under a contract clause most people skim past.

Two of the three proposed rates match last year's

A Sandy Springs bill carries three main levies, and each body votes on its own rate. Per the City of Sandy Springs breakdown cited by Rough Draft Atlanta, city taxes make up about 14% of the total bill. Fulton County Schools takes about 55% and Fulton County government about 30%.

Here is where each one stood as of October 12, 2026.

The city has kept its rate at 4.731 mills every year since it incorporated in 2005, which is the cap set in its charter. Georgia law still requires the city to advertise the rate as a 0.26% tax increase, because it sits above the rollback rate, the rate that would raise the same revenue as last year if no property had been reassessed. Fulton County went through the same process and adopted 8.87 mills on October 7, unchanged for a fifth year. Its September notice put the rollback rate at no more than 8.822 mills, so the flat rate was advertised as a 0.54% increase.

So the "tax increase" headlines on the city and county lines describe rates that match the temporary bill. The county rate is final. The city rate is still a proposal until its November 3 hearings, but the figure on the table is the same one printed in August. If both hold, those two lines on the revised bill would change only where the final 2026 assessed value differs from the preliminary digest value.

The school line is the one still moving

The school levy is the largest share of the bill, and it is also the only one where the proposed rate differs from the rate printed on the temporary bill. At the August 20 board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney recommended a tentative FY2027 rate of 18.08 mills, up from the current 17.08. The district's August 21 Board Bulletin describes the recommendation as a way to avoid recurring budget deficits and keep reserves above the board's policy minimum.

The district's published notice lists the rollback rate at no more than 17.539 mills and advertises the proposal as a 3.08% increase. It estimates the cost at about $91 more for a $425,000 home with a homestead exemption and $92 for a non-homestead property at the same value. Appen Media reported that at 18.08 mills, a home with a $450,000 market value would owe $3,254 a year in school tax before homestead exemptions. The district's tax rate calculator comes pre-loaded with 18.080 and warns that its results are estimates, not exact payments.

The temporary bill was calculated at 17.08 mills. If the board adopts 18.08, the school line on the revised bill is figured at a rate one full mill higher than the one buyers and sellers are using today.

When the real number shows up

As of mid-October, the calendar runs past most fall closing dates:

1. October 13, 2026. Fulton County Schools hearings at noon and 6 p.m. at the North Learning Center.
2. October 15, 2026. Payment deadline for the temporary bill.
3. October 20, 2026. First Sandy Springs millage hearing, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1 Galambos Way.
4. October 22, 2026. Final Fulton County Schools hearing, 6 p.m. at the South Learning Center. The board takes final action after its three public meetings.
5. November 3, 2026. The last two city hearings, at 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
6. Mid-November 2026. County staff told the Board of Commissioners to expect corrected bills around then, according to the Center for Civic Innovation. Assessors finished the remaining valuations on September 1.

That mid-November date is a staff estimate. Fulton County had not published a confirmed date as of October 12.

What the Georgia contract does with an estimated bill

The standard Georgia Association of REALTORS® Purchase and Sale Agreement, form F201, already covers this situation. In the 2022 printing, Section 3(c) says taxes "shall be prorated as of the date of closing." If the proration was based on an estimated tax bill or a bill under appeal, the buyer and seller agree that once the actual bill is issued or the appeal is resolved, they will "promptly make such financial adjustments between themselves" to correct it. The same section says the buyer takes on that year's county and city tax liability at closing. Forms get revised and signed contracts get modified, so the version in your agreement is the one that governs.

Georgia closing attorneys describe the same mechanics. Martin Snow explains that closings use the prior year's bill for proration unless the parties or the lender instruct otherwise. When no bill exists at closing, the buyer receives a credit and pays the bill once it is issued. Sherman & Phalen describes the seller's closing credit as an advance on the seller's share. The buyer pays the full bill later, and if taxes change materially after closing, the two parties work out a revised proration between themselves.

This year, that clause will likely be used. A 2026 closing may be prorated from a bill built on 2025 rates, and the school rate is still pending at roughly 55% of the total. A revised bill could arrive weeks after the keys change hands. By then the buyer and seller are no longer at the same table, and the adjustment depends on both of them following through.

The seller's bill doesn't predict the buyer's

There's a second reason a seller's tax history is a weak guide for a buyer, and it lasts longer than this year's digest delay. Homestead exemptions don't transfer with the house. Fulton County's Board of Assessors says a change on the deed removes the existing homestead exemption, and the new owner has to reapply.

The exemptions that matter most here are floating exemptions. Under Fulton's 2026 Homestead Exemption Guide, the exemption equals the assessed value minus a base-year value, plus the base exemption. The base-year value is set when the owner applies, and it is typically the assessed value for the year before the application. In Fulton County, that base usually rises each year by 3% or CPI, whichever is less. The assessor's 2025 cap chart lists Sandy Springs' local floating exemption and Fulton County Schools' with the same lesser-of-CPI-or-3% cap.

Consider an owner who has lived in a house for years while values climbed faster than that cap. Their exemption has grown with the gap, so their taxable base sits well below the market. A buyer of the same house starts over with a base tied to a recent assessed value. Two similar houses on the same street can carry very different city and school tax bills for this reason alone, and a seller's bill shows the first case, never the second.

The state layer splits by jurisdiction. Georgia's HB 581 created a statewide floating homestead exemption. Fulton County and Sandy Springs both remain in it, according to the assessor's chart. Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul told Appen Media the city had already offered a similar floating homestead exemption for many years. Fulton County Schools opted out, as WABE reported in October 2025. Where a local floating exemption gives the owner more benefit, it applies in place of the state one. The Georgia Department of Revenue set the 2026 inflation index for the state exemption at 2.7%.

Timing matters too. Fulton's guide ties the basic exemption to owners occupying the home as of January 1 of the application year, with an April 1 filing deadline. A buyer who closes in November 2026 has not been the occupant on January 1, 2026. The 2026 bill still reflects the seller's exemptions, and the buyer's own application looks ahead to 2027.

Questions about a fall 2026 closing

Was my proration based on the temporary bill?

Ask your closing attorney. Common practice uses the prior year's bill unless the parties or the lender direct otherwise. In 2026, the county's own temporary bill was built on 2025 rates, so the settlement statement may rest on either figure.

Who keeps track of the revised bill?

Under the F201 language, the buyer and seller agree to adjust between themselves once the actual bill is issued. Your closing attorney can explain how your file records the estimate and how to reach the other party in mid-November or later.

Does the city's "tax increase" notice mean my city rate went up?

No. The city rate proposed for 2026 is the same 4.731 mills it has charged since 2005. The notice is required by state law because the rate exceeds the rollback rate after reassessments.

When can a buyer apply for a homestead exemption?

Fulton's guide ties eligibility to owning and occupying the home on January 1 of the application year, with applications due April 1. For a closing this fall, that points to the 2027 tax year. The Board of Assessors is the authority on any specific case.

If you're buying or selling in Sandy Springs before year-end and want to see how the proration on your settlement statement compares with the rates still pending, Taylor Thompson can go through those numbers with you and your closing attorney before you sign. Schedule a consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.