You must be 65 years old or older. You must be living in the home to which the exemption applies on January 1 of the year for which the exemption applies. Your net income, or the combined net income of you and your spouse must not be greater than $10,000 for the preceding year.
Georgia homestead laws allow creditors to exempt up to $10,000 worth of their home under certain conditions. For example, if your house is worth $100,000 and you owe $90,000 on your mortgage, you have $10,000 of equity in your home, and that equity cannot be taken by creditors.
The Homeowner Exemption reduces the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) of a property by $10,000.
General Homestead Exemption (GHE) (35 ILCS 200/15-175) The amount of exemption is the increase in the current year's equalized assessed value (EAV), above the 1977 EAV, up to a maximum of $10,000 in Cook County, $8,000 in counties contiguous to Cook County, and $6,000 in all other counties.