$250-$500 In Extra Tax Refunds Coming To Eligible Georgians, Kemp Says: What To Know

GEORGIA — More money will be sent to the bank accounts of Georgians who meet certain eligibility requirements through a bill Gov. Brian Kemp signed Wednesday.

House Bill 1302 provides a one-time tax credit for taxpayers who filed returns for both 2020 and 2021 taxable years, according to the bill.

Once a qualified taxpayer files an individual income tax return for tax year 2021, the Georgia Department of Revenue will automatically credit the taxpayer with a one-time refund amount as follows:

• Single, married and filing separate: $250
• Head of household: $375
• Married filing jointly: $500

"When government takes in more than it needs, I believe those dollars should be returned to the taxpayer, because that is your money — not the government's," Kemp said in a news release. "In Georgia, we are taking swift action to lessen the impact of the federal administration's disastrous policies that have driven record-high inflation over the last year by putting taxpayer dollars back in the pockets of hardworking Georgians."

Taxpayers who filed their 2021 taxes already do not need to adjust their tax returns, according to Kemp. Eligible taxpayers will receive their refund to whatever option they chose on their tax return (paper check or direct deposit) and it will include the one-time payment.

“We are returning more than a billion dollars to Georgia taxpayers as part of our continuing commitment to budget conservatively while meeting the needs of a growing, thriving state," Speaker of the House David Ralston said in a news release. "I appreciate Governor Kemp’s leadership and his willingness to work with the General Assembly on this and other important policy initiatives this session.”

Georgia ended fiscal year 2021 with a $3.7 billion surplus, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and some of that money went into the government's savings account. Funding for HB 1302 — which will cost about $1.1 billion — is coming from that surplus money.