Georgia Tax Refunds
Content provided for general information. Talk to your advisor to learn about recent updates or other rules that may apply to your situation.
Georgia tax refunds can be a little slow. Here’s what you should know if you’re still looking for your refund.
How long do Georgia tax refunds take?
The Georgia Department of Revenue says it can normally take up to 12 weeks to issue your income tax refund. Many state refunds come sooner, but there’s a process involved that means your refund could take the full amount of time.
Georgia checks all tax returns for potential signs of fraud which can take up to 6 weeks. In weeks 7-9, they do additional accuracy checks.
In weeks 10-11, they do final verifications such as checking your tax return against your W-2, 1099, and other information they have. Finally, in week 12, they approve and prepare your refund.
Your refund could move faster if they complete all the checks sooner. It’s also possible that they could see something that needs additional attention and delay your refund longer.
Once your refund is approved, you should get your direct deposit within a few business days. If you requested a paper refund check, it could take an additional two weeks or more for it to arrive by mail.
How can you check the status of your Georgia tax refund?
Georgia has three ways to check your tax refund status.
- You can check your refund online similarly to the IRS Where’s My Refund tool. You’ll need your refund amount and Social Security Number.
- You can create a Georgia Tax Center account and receive automatic notifications when your refund status changes.
- You can call 1-877-423-6711.
What can I do if my tax refund is delayed?
There are three main situations you can find yourself in while waiting for your Georgia tax refund.
Refund Processing or Under Review
If your refund status is still showing as processing, under review, or similar messages, there’s not much you can do. Georgia has millions of tax returns to process and you’re in line.
Calling at this point won’t speed up your refund. You’ll either get a letter from the Department of Revenue or they’ll eventually approve your refund.
Request for Information or Notice of Adjustments
In some cases, the Department of Revenue will either ask you for more information or notify you that they’re changing your refund. The faster you respond, the faster you can get back on track to receiving your refund.
Sometimes, you just need to send a document to prove what you claimed. Other times, you might realize you made an obvious error.
If you’re not sure how to respond, the issue is complex, or you could lose a large portion of your refund, you may want to contact a tax professional to get help before you respond.
No Refund Status Updates
You should call the Department of Revenue if:
- You filed more than three weeks ago and your tax return still isn’t in the system
- It’s been more than six weeks since your refund status last changed and you haven’t gotten anything in the mail
In some cases, there could just be longer than usual processing delays, but you want to make sure your tax return is actually in the system.
Georgia One-Time Refunds
If you never received your one-time surplus refund check of $250 to $500 in May of 2022, you should call the refund phone number listed above.
There have been some talks of an additional surplus tax refund or stimulus check in 2023, but nothing is final yet.