$600M In Tax Rebates Issued In GA Surplus Funds

ATLANTA, GA — More than $600 million in surplus tax refunds have been issued as Georgia officials continue to release $1 billion in rebates, revenue officials told Patch.

The Georgia Department of Revenue on Tuesday said $621 million has been allocated to eligible taxpayers, a $133 million rise from its report on Thursday.

"We are on pace with the previous surplus refunds issued and expect that most Georgians who filed by the May 1 deadline will receive their refund by early August," Joe Snowden, DOR director of external affairs and communications, told Patch.

The one-time refunds are being distributed 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.

Recipients may receive their share of the rebates either by direct deposit or mailed check, depending on their individual tax form instructions.

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, which dropped the state income tax rate from 5.39 percent to 5.19 percent.

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

The DOR previously 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.

Check your eligibility for the rebates via the DOR's online "Where's My Surplus Refund" tool.

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