Many Georgia Taxpayers to Receive Additional Refund
By: Stacey Nickens
Many Georgia taxpayers will be receiving a bonus refund this spring. Once you file your 2021 state income return, the Georgia Department of Revenue may send you a one-time refund of up to $500 for joint filers, $375 for head of household filers, or $250 for single and married filing separately filers.
This additional refund will be based on your 2020 tax liability. If you owed state tax in 2020 and paid state tax when you filed your 2020 return, the amount you paid will be refunded to you, up to the above listed maximums. For example, Mary was a single filer in 2020 and owed $300 when she filed her 2020 income tax return. When she files her 2021 income tax return, she would be eligible for a refund of up to $250.
Those who owed less than the above maximums will only receive a refund in the amount of their 2020 tax liability. Pretend Mary only owed $150 on her 2020 income tax return. She would accordingly only receive a refund in the amount of $150.
These refunds are a result of House Bill 1302, signed into law on March 23, 2022. This bill is designed to return some of the state’s surplus revenues back to taxpayers. To qualify for this refund, you must have filed your 2020 return in a timely manner, and you must file your 2021 return by the deadline, whether that be the April 18th deadline or an extension deadline. All taxpayers who were full-time Georgia residents in 2020 and 2021 are eligible for the refund. Part-year filers are also eligible, but their maximum allowable refund will be reduced according to the share of their income taxable in Georgia. If you were a dependent on someone else’s return in 2020, you are not eligible for this refund.
This one-time refund should be hitting Georgians’ bank accounts or mailboxes in just a few weeks. The refund will be combined with your 2021 refund if your return has not yet been processed. Those whose returns have already been processed will receive a separate refund. If you have any questions about this additional refund, please do not hesitate to contact us.
