Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Wednesday providing Georgia taxpayers a $1.1 billion tax refund.

The one-time windfall for taxpayers is the result of unexpectedly strong state tax collections that have left Georgia with a flush budget surplus.

“When government takes in more than it needs, I believe those dollars should be returned to the taxpayer, because that is your money – not the government’s,” Kemp said. “In Georgia, we are … putting taxpayer dollars back in the pockets of hardworking Georgians.”

The refund is included in the $30.3 billion mid-year budget the governor signed last week. It provides a tax credit to Georgians who filed state income tax returns for the 2020 and 2021 tax years.

Single taxpayers will receive a $250 refund. Married taxpayers filing jointly will get $500.

Taxpayers who have already filed their taxes for tax year 2021 will not need to adjust their returns. They will receive their refund by paper check or direct deposit, depending on which method they indicated on their tax return.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

The form you have selected does not exist.

Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service

Dave Williams is the Bureau Chief for Capitol Beat News Service. He is a veteran reporter who has reported on Georgia state government and politics since 1999. Before that, he covered Georgia’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.