ATLANTA — Last month, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a bill that will soon send payments to Georgians out of a state budget surplus of more than $2 billion.
Of that surplus, $1.6 billion is being sent back directly to the pockets of Georgia residents who paid state income taxes for at least the last two years.
The payments will come in three varying amounts, depending on how your household files taxes:
- Single tax filers or married taxpayers filing separately: $250
- Head of household filers: $375
- Married joint filers: $500
At the time the law was signed, the state said only that it would be sending out the payments in "the coming weeks." Now, the Georgia Department of Revenue has provided 11Alive with an updated timetable on when you can expect to get your check.
When will I get a Georgia surplus tax refund check?
The state Department of Revenue told 11Alive's Joe Henke this week that the rebate checks would be issued "6-8 weeks from the Governor's signature" on the law that provided for the payments, HB 1302.
Gov. Kemp signed the law a little more than two weeks ago, on Wednesday, March 23.
That means projecting out from today (Friday, April 8) they should start arriving in 4-6 more weeks, based on the Department of Revenue's timeline.
That would roughly mean people should start seeing the payments from about May 4-18.
One other thing to remember is that this is a one-time payment from the state of Georgia - it is not the same as your overall income tax return refund. When that comes will still be a matter of the federal government sending out refunds, same as every year.