Tax relief checks up to $500 in Georgia: Who qualifies and how to get your payment

A bill to provide a stimulus check worth up to $500 for those who filed their 2021 and 2022 tax return has passed the Georgia House of Representatives. This is a renewal of a tax credit enacted last year that kicked in when both 2020 and 2021 tax returns were submitted.

Now, it is up to the Georgia Senate to determine whether millions will see between $250 and $500 tacked onto their tax refund. The bill passed in the House by a huge margin, 170 to 2, which indicates a high chance of passing in the upper chamber.

The extension of this credit was a key pillar of Republican Governor Brain Kemp’s re-election campaign that he won in November. With Georgia voters delivering him the victory, Gov. Kemp is working to make good on these commitments.

How much are the payments worth?

The amount distributed depends on one’s filing status and whether they have at least one dependent in their care:

One catch is that the size of the tax credit cannot be larger than the size of the refund before the credit would be added on top.

What’s next for the bill?

Now that the bill has been adopted in the House of Representatives, it will head to the Senate. Last year, the Senate approved the bill on 16 March, meaning lawmakers in that chamber may still be negotiating or revising the legislation. With March nearly here, a vote can be expected in the coming weeks.

How would the payments for the credit be distributed?

If the law is adopted by the Senate, qualifying taxpayers can expect an electronic payment or a physical check “based on the taxpayer’s refund instructions, as indicated on the taxpayer’s tax year 2021 return.”