Georgia tax rebate: 40% of refund checks have been sent out, officials say

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Eligible Georgians will receive tax rebates from $250 to $500. (Photo by Matias Baglietto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Waiting for your Georgia surplus tax refund check? You're not the only one.

The Georgia Department of Revenue says that 40% of those eligible in the Peach State have received their special refund, and the agency is working daily to issue more checks.

MORE: Georgia tax rebate: How to see your refund check's status

Here's what you need to know.

By the numbers:

In April, Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 112 into law, authorizing a $1 billion special state income tax refund.

The one-time rebate is available to eligible taxpayers who meet specific requirements and will be issued after the processing of 2024 state returns.

The rebate amounts are:

• $250 for individuals filing as single or married filing separately
• $375 for those filing as head of household
• $500 for couples filing jointly

If you paid your state taxes or get your refund through direct deposit, the money will go straight into your bank account. If you used the mail, you will get an actual paper check.

Under Georgia law, the rebates will not be considered taxable income. However, they may be reduced or offset if the recipient owes outstanding debts to the state. No interest will be paid on the refund amounts.

This is the third time that Georgia has issued a special tax refund to residents in the last few years. Previous refunds had been issued in 2022 and 2023.

What they're saying:

Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp announced that the state has returned over $488 million to Georgians out of the expected $1.2 billion that's expected to be sent out.

"Taxpayer money ultimately belongs to hardworking Georgians, not the government! That’s why we’re working hard to get this year’s special tax refund into their pockets," Kemp wrote on X.

Officails with the Department of Revenue say that the number of refunds is increasing every week, with the rollout starting slower so that they could monitor the process and make sure that there were no issues.

Georgia tax refund rebate eligibility

Dig deeper:

To qualify for the rebate, taxpayers must:

• File Georgia income tax returns for both 2023 and 2024
• Not be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2023 return
• Be a full-time Georgia resident for tax purposes
• Paid more in taxes than the rebate.

What you can do:

As long as you filed your taxes by the deadline of May 1 and you do not owe money, the state says that you should expect to see your refunds in the coming weeks.

You can check the status of your surplus tax refund here. You will need to include your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer ID number as well as your Federal Adjusted Gross Income from Georgia Individual Income Tax Return. The information is updated nightly.

Getting your money may take a little while. Officials say you should allow six to eight weeks for refunds to be issued if you filed by the May 1, 2025, deadline.