Stimulus update: Georgia residents have six days to receive direct payment worth $500

Georgia residents have six days to file their 2021 or 2022 tax returns to receive a rebate from the state’s Surplus Tax Refund.

Taxpayers who received an extension from the Internal Revenue Service must file their individual tax income return for tax year 2021 and tax year 2022 by Oct. 16 to receive a payment from the surplus fund. Those who did not qualify for or seek an extension needed to file their returns by April 18.

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The Georgia Department of Revenue granted an extension to Georgians who were affected by Hurricane Idalia and had a valid extension until Oct. 16. Those taxpayers will have until Feb. 15, 2024, to file their returns.

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed House Bill 162 in March, which allowed for a tax refund from the state’s surplus to Georgia taxpayers who meet certain eligibility requirements. Kemp and the legislature signed a similar bill to provide refunds to taxpayers filing 2020 tax returns in 2022.

Tax refunds can be worth $250 for single filers or married taxpayers filing separately, $375 for heads of household, and $500 for married taxpayers filing jointly. The refund will come based on the regular refund instructions provided on a taxpayer’s return.

The Department of Revenue had advised that those who filed by the April 18 deadline may not receive their payments for six to eight weeks.

To receive a rebate, taxpayers must have a tax liability for tax year 2021 and can be a Georgia resident, part-year resident, or a nonresident.

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A “timely received return” includes a return electronically transmitted by Oct. 16, a return in a postmarked envelope by Oct. 16, or a return received at a Department of Revenue location by Oct. 16.

Several other states, such as Alabama, Illinois, and Minnesota, are sending out similar one-time tax rebates or unclaimed property checks for eligible residents. Many of the payments seek to relieve burdens brought by consumer prices or financial misfortune, some due to the COVID-19 pandemic.