Stimulus update: Georgia residents affected by Hurricane Idalia can file tax rebates until February

Some Georgia residents who were affected by Hurricane Idalia have until February to file their 2021 or 2022 tax returns and receive a rebate from the state’s Surplus Tax Refund.

The Georgia Department of Revenue granted an extension to taxpayers who received an original filing extension of Oct. 16 from the IRS but were affected by the hurricane. Those taxpayers will have until Feb. 15 to file their returns.

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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.

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

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed House Bill 162 in March. It 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.

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Those who did not qualify for or seek an extension needed to file their returns by April 18. Most Georgians who received the original extension had to file their individual tax returns by Oct. 16 to collect the rebate. 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.

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.