ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Revenue provided 11Alive with some of the top misconceptions concerning Georgia’s special tax refunds as the state prepares to issue a new round of checks.
New payments between $250 and $500 are scheduled to go out beginning in May.
Retiree Mildred Jones filed returns and paid her taxes but told us, “I’m one of those persons that never received the rebate.”
After we put her in touch with the Department of Revenue, Mildred learned that she didn’t qualify because while she paid federal taxes, she didn’t owe the state of Georgia anything when she filed her 2021 return.
11Alive previously reported that you have to pay state taxes to get a special tax refund.
What about the amount of the check? Will everyone who qualifies get at the very least the minimum $250?
Usha Rackliffe of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School says several factors could impact the amount in your check.
Line 16 of your state income tax form shows what you pay the state in taxes. An individual can qualify for a special tax refund but the refund will be less than $250 if you paid less than that amount in state taxes.
“If that amount is only $200, that means your tax liability was never more than $250,” said Rackliffe. “If the line says $200, you can only get $200.”
Are there other factors that could lower your check even more?
The Department of Revenue tells us if you owe child support or failed to pay state taxes in the past then, yes, those factors could lower your refund check as well.
“If there’s any kind of delinquency anywhere that the state has a right to take any of that money, certainly that will happen,” said Rackliffe.
Finally, you had to file tax returns the past two years to qualify. Does that mean you had to owe and pay state taxes both years?
The Department of Revenue tells us the answer is no.
Qualifying for a special tax refund depends on your 2021 return.