ATLANTA — The state of Georgia will soon be sending residents payments for between $250-500, after Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law last month to disperse $1.6 billion of a more than $2 billion budget surplus in the form of cash directly to taxpayers' pockets.
The payments have unsurprisingly generated a high amount of interest from Georgia residents looking to know when and how they will receive those payments.
The payments will go to residents who filed state income tax returns in both 2020 and 2021, 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
One 11Alive viewer had a good question, however: Which payment will you get if you filed differently in 2020 and 2021? Say you were single one year, but then filing as a married couple the next?
11Alive checked in with the Georgia Department of Revenue, and it turns out the answer is pretty straightforward.
Which payment level will you receive if you filed differently in 2020 and 2021?
You can find the answer on the Department of Revenue website here.
In response to the question, "How do I determine what I might receive from this refund?," the Department of Revenue lays out a clear answer: Your payment will be determined by your status on your 2020 return.
In short, if you filed as a single person in 2020 but married in 2021, you'll get the $250 individual payment in line with your 2020 filing status.
The full answer: "Please refer to your 2020 income tax return. If you filed a Form 500, the amount will be based on your tax liability listed on line 16. If you filed using Form 500EZ, the amount will be based on your tax liability listed on line 4. Tax liability is the amount of tax owed on the return before credit for any withholding, tax credits or other tax payments. Remember, you will not receive more than the maximums listed below."
The payments right now are expected to begin going out in May.