Special Tax Refunds Worth $1B To Be Issued In GA: Updated Timing

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia officials will start issuing special surplus tax refunds worth up to $500 for some taxpayers this week, Gov. Brian Kemp's office said Monday.

The one-time refunds will be allocated as follows: $250 for single tax filers and married filing separately taxpayers, $375 for head of household filers and $500 for married filing jointly taxpayers.

The refunds are part of a $1 billion package built into House Bill 112, which was signed on April 15 in conjunction with House Bill 111, whixch dropped the state income tax rate from 5.39 percent to 5.19 percent.

When he first announced the special refunds in October, Kemp said the money would not be taxable income.

This is the third time Kemp has sent tax rebates to Georgia residents since taking office in January 2019.

"Because we’ve managed our state’s resources wisely, we're again able to return money to hardworking Georgians who know how best to use it,” Kemp said in a news release. “Along with our acceleration of the largest income tax rate cut in state history, this latest refund is just one more way we’re working to support the people of our state, their families and their businesses because that's not the government's money, it's theirs.”

The "Where's My Surplus Refund Tool" was live Monday. To check the status of their refund, eligible recipients will need to input their social security number or individual taxpayer ID and their federal adjusted gross income for 2024.

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Refunds will be allocated based on individual tax form instructions, either by direct deposit or mailed check.

The Georgia Department of Revenue previously told Patch officials planned to start issuing refunds for timely filers around late May or early June.

The DOR said eligible taxpayers must have filed both their 2023 and 2024 tax returns by the extended May 1 deadline and had a tax liability in 2023.

This includes any deadline extensions the DOR may have granted. Taxpayers who were permitted state extensions for 2024 tax year have until Oct. 15 to file.

The IRS delayed Tax Day in Georgia from April 15 to May 1, giving taxpayers more time to file and pay, due to Hurricane Helene.

Recipients of the rebates must have fully lived in Georgia in 2023 and 2024.

Anyone who lived in Georgia a part of the time, or who was a nonresident filer, could be eligible for a "proportional refund equal to the maximum amounts based on filing status multiplied by the share of their income taxable in Georgia," the DOR stated.

More information on tax rebates: Georgia Department of Revenue

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