Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) have announced the release of the first round of tax refund checks as a result of House Bill 162.
Georgia issues surplus tax refunds as a result of House Bill 162
The legislation allows for an additional refund of income taxes from 2021 due to the state’s revenue surplus. Single filers and married individuals who file separately could receive a maximum refund of $250, head of household filers could receive a maximum refund of $375, while married individuals who file joint returns could receive a maximum refund of $500. Taxpayers claimed as a dependent who had a 2021 tax liability will also be eligible for the refund.
Individuals must have paid and filed taxes for the previous two tax years to be eligible for the refund. The Department of Revenue anticipates all refunds for those who filed by the April 18 deadline to be issued within the next eight weeks. Refunds will not be issued until 2022 tax returns have been processed, and individuals who received a filing extension will not receive their refunds until their returns have been filed.
The surplus tax refunds were made possible due to years of responsible budgeting and choosing to protect both lives and livelihoods during the pandemic
Governor Kemp added that the state’s actions are in contrast to the failed policies coming out of Washington, D.C., which are pushing Georgians closer to a recession and forcing them to endure sky-high inflation.
The State Revenue Commissioner, Frank O’Connell, thanked the Governor and the General Assembly for working with the Department through the process of passing and implementing these special refunds out of the state’s revenue surplus. Due to the number of taxpayers eligible for this refund, it will take roughly the same amount of time as last year for all eligible refunds to be processed by DOR. The Department of Revenue will release frequently asked questions and explainer videos on its website and social media platforms over the coming weeks.
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