Adding Your Spouse to Your Georgia Home Deed
· Updated · 2 min read
Just married, or finally getting around to it? Adding your spouse to your Georgia home’s deed is one of the simplest ways to protect both of you. Here’s why it matters and how to do it.
Why add your spouse to the deed
Right of survivorship
When the deed is set up as a joint tenancy with right of survivorship, your spouse automatically becomes full owner if you pass away — no probate, no court delay, no separate legal proceeding to transfer the home.
Equal ownership rights
Adding your spouse gives them a recognized ownership interest, which means a real say in refinancing, selling, or otherwise dealing with the property.
Simpler estate planning
Joint ownership keeps the home out of the assets that have to pass through a will, reduces the chance of future family disputes, and creates a clear line of succession.
How to add your spouse — step by step
1. Provide your property and owner details
You’ll need the current owner name(s), the property address, and the legal description from your existing deed.
2. Prepare the new deed
In Georgia this is done with a quitclaim deed that conveys the property from you into both spouses’ names, with the survivorship vesting you choose.
3. Sign before a witness and notary
We email you the prepared documents with clear signing instructions; you sign in front of an unofficial witness and a notary.
4. Record with the county
The signed deed and a completed PT-61 are recorded with the Clerk of Superior Court, and you receive the recorded deed as proof both names are now on title.
What it costs
Our flat $295 covers a title record review, attorney drafting, the PT-61 form, eFiling, and the county recording fee. There’s usually no transfer tax on adding a spouse, because no money changes hands — see how Georgia transfer tax works.
An attorney prepares the deed, and we record in any of Georgia’s 159 counties — typically ready to sign in 2 business days.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For guidance on your specific situation, consult an attorney.