Fulton County, Georgia: business personal property tax return, 2027
Businesses in Fulton County report the equipment, furniture, computers, inventory and other tangible property they owned on January 1, 2027 to the Fulton County Board of Assessors (county board of tax assessors) on PT-50P. The return is due April 1, 2027. No tax is owed when the total market value of business personal property per county is at or under $20,000; above that, the full value is taxable (a cliff, not a deduction). A PT-50P is still filed every year.
Who files
Any business with tangible personal property at a Fulton County location on January 1.
Furniture and fixtures, kitchen and other machinery, computers and point-of-sale systems, signage, leasehold improvements that are trade fixtures, supplies and inventory are reported at original cost by year acquired; the appraiser depreciates them on the schedule below. The threshold is measured on everything the taxpayer owns in the county combined, not per location.
Deadlines and extensions
- Assessment date
- January 1, 2027
- PT-50P due
- April 1, 2027 — BOA FAQ: business personal property returns are due April 1 each year; Online Services page lists 'Business, Aircraft & Marine Property Returns (Jan 1 – April 1)'. Statewide rule O.C.G.A. § 48-5-18.
- Extension
- None. BOA FAQ: the Board of Assessors 'cannot grant extensions or relieve penalties.'
- Notice of value
- June
- Protest deadline
- 45 days from the date of the annual notice of assessment (O.C.G.A. § 48-5-311); 2026 notices were mailed/online by June 19, 2026 with a July 31, 2026 appeal deadline for most owners; 2025 notices posted June 23, 2025. Appeals may be filed online via fultonassessor.org (SmartFile) or in writing to the Board of Assessors; heard by the Fulton County Board of Equalization. (County Board of Equalization (matters of taxability, uniformity and value); alternatively a hearing officer for tangible personal property with aggregate FMV above $200,000 (§ 48-5-311(e)(1)(A)(v)) or binding arbitration (value only). Further appeal to superior court within 30 days of the decision (§ 48-5-311(g)(2)). A written objection to a personal property assessment giving the account number counts as a notice of appeal. Uniform appeal form PT-311A (https://dor.georgia.gov/pt-311a-appeal-assessment-form).)
- Bills
- Typically August–October (county tax commissioner); e.g. Fulton mails bills ~August 15, Cherokee in September.. Due: December 20 unless the local governing authority sets an earlier date or installments (DOR: 'Unless otherwise specifically stated in the law, property taxes are due by December 20'; some counties use Nov 15, Oct 15, Sept 30 or two installments). Taxpayers have 60 days from the postmark of the bill before interest accrues (DOR County Property Tax Facts).
Exemption
No tax is owed when the total market value of business personal property per county is at or under $20,000; above that, the full value is taxable (a cliff, not a deduction). A PT-50P is still filed every year.
- Statute
- O.C.G.A. § 48-5-42.1, as amended by Ga. L. 2024, p. 696, § 1 (HB 808; 2024 Ga. Laws 581), ratified by statewide Referendum A on November 5, 2024
- In force
- Tax years 2025–present
- Under the threshold
- The PT-50P is still due by April 1 every year. The board of tax assessors determines the county-wide aggregate FMV from the return; if it does not exceed $20,000 the account is exempt and no bill issues. Gwinnett County: 'Personal property valued at $20,000 or less is automatically exempt from ad valorem taxes' but the property 'must be returned, valued, and entered on the tax digest' and owners under the threshold 'receive no bill' (https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/government/departments/county-administrator/assessor/personal-property). No statutory waiver exists.
Depreciation schedule
Georgia applies one statewide depreciation table (4 classes); Fulton County Board of Assessors uses it.
| Class | Life | Percent good, years 1 → 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Group I — typical economic life 5–7 years (e.g. IRS Pub. 946 class 00.13 data handling equipment) | 7 yr | 87% · 74% · 58% · 43% · 32% · 26% |
| Group II — typical economic life 8–12 years (e.g. IRS Pub. 946 class 00.11 office furniture & fixtures; class 57.0 distributive trades & services) | 11 yr | 92% · 85% · 78% · 70% · 63% · 54% |
| Group III — typical economic life 13 years or more | 16 yr | 95% · 91% · 87% · 82% · 79% · 75% |
| Group IV — typical economic life 4 years or less, and all assets in IRS Pub. 946 Asset Class 00.12 (information systems: computers and peripheral equipment) | 3 yr | 67% · 54% · 31% |
Source: dor.georgia.gov/document/document/appraisal-procedure-manual/download
Statewide composite conversion factors (APM 560-11-10-.08) apply.
How to file
Online through SmartFile (Fulton County Board of Assessors online filing — Business, Aircraft & Marine Property Returns), or by mail.
- Online
- SmartFile (Fulton County Board of Assessors online filing — Business, Aircraft & Marine Property Returns)
- By mail
- Fulton County Board of Assessors, 235 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Form
- PT-50P — Tangible Personal Property Tax Return and Supporting Schedules (Business Personal Property Tax Return) (rev. PT-50P (revised 1/18/2017))
Online Services page (read 2026-11-02): 'Online filing is available by using our SmartFile system' with a 'Click this link to access SmartFile' link; the SmartFile deep link was not extractable from the page, so the portal URL recorded is the Online Services page that hosts it.
Paper returns: the BOA FAQ says to complete the Business Personal Property Return from the Forms & Documents page (fultonassessor.org/forms/ — returned errors on 2026-11-02; the 2025 county return PDF at fultonassessor.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/12/2025-Business-Personal-Property-Return.pdf also could not be read).
Penalties
- Late or missing return: 10% of the total tax imposed on the property for the year.
- Unreturned property assessed by the board: 10% added to the taxable value.
- Property omitted from a return: 10% of the tax on the omitted property.
Statewide: 10% of the assessment of items not previously returned (O.C.G.A. § 48-5-299(b)); no extensions or penalty relief by the Board (BOA FAQ).
Estimated tax
For a typical in-city location, about 1.6% of market value.
Tax year 2025, City of Atlanta (Fulton side): 'Total Atlanta Millage' 40.909 mills = City of Atlanta millage 31.870 (city levies incl. Atlanta Public Schools) + Fulton County millage in City of Atlanta 9.039. Other 2025 totals on the same sheet: Unincorporated Fulton 35.550; Sandy Springs 30.850; East Point 32.073.
Fulton's 2026 temporary bills (mailed Aug 15, 2026) were computed at 2025 millage rates; the county general fund stayed at 8.87 mills for 2026. Estimate only. Georgia assesses personal property at 40% of fair market value before the rate is applied.
Questions
PT-50P is due to Fulton County Board of Assessors by April 1, 2027. No extension is available.
No tax is owed when the total market value of business personal property per county is at or under $20,000; above that, the full value is taxable (a cliff, not a deduction). A PT-50P is still filed every year.
Online through SmartFile (Fulton County Board of Assessors online filing — Business, Aircraft & Marine Property Returns), or by mail. Portal: https://fultonassessor.org/online-services/. Mailing address: Fulton County Board of Assessors, 235 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30303.
Late or missing return: 10% of the total tax imposed on the property for the year. Unreturned property assessed by the board: 10% added to the taxable value. Property omitted from a return: 10% of the tax on the omitted property.
For a typical in-city location the combined 2025 rate of overlapping taxing units is $4.09 per $100 of assessed value, so about 1.6% of market value after Georgia's 40% assessment ratio. Your exact rate depends on the city, school district and special districts at the address.
Sources
Every figure above is taken from one of these documents; the date is when Rendition last read it.
- 01Fulton County Board of Assessors — business personal property filing pagefultonassessor.org/online-services/read 2026-11-02
- 02Filing deadlinefultonassessor.org/frequently-asked-questions/read 2026-11-02
- 03PT-50P — Tangible Personal Property Tax Return and Supporting Schedules (Business Personal Property Tax Return)dor.georgia.gov/document/form/pt-50p-tangible-personal-property-tax-return-and-schedules/downloadread 2026-11-02
- 04Exemption rule — O.C.G.A. § 48-5-42.1law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-48/chapter-5/article-2/part-1/section-48-5-42-1read 2026-11-02
- 05Georgia statewide depreciation tabledor.georgia.gov/document/document/appraisal-procedure-manual/downloadread 2026-11-02
- 06Adopted tax rates used for the estimatefultoncountytaxes.org/media/Millage_Rates_Through_2025.pdfread 2026-11-02
- 07Penalty statutelaw.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-48/chapter-5/article-5/part-2/section-48-5-299/read 2026-11-02
- 08Notice of value and protest deadlinefultoncountyga.gov/News/2026/06/19/Fulton-County-2026-Assessments-Now-Available-Online
- 09Georgia notice and appeal rulesdor.georgia.gov/filing-property-tax-appeal
- 10Tax bill due datedor.georgia.gov/property-tax-returns-and-paymentread 2026-11-02
- 11Fulton County Board of Assessors websitefultonassessor.org
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