Virginia to Georgia Retirement Taxes (2026): Every Tax That Changes

Updated July 26, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Moving from Virginia to Georgia in retirement, the change is narrower than the headline rate comparison suggests. Four separate taxes change when you move — state income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. Most comparisons only price the first one.

Virginia vs Georgia: every tax that changes

Every cell is quoted from our statute-cited 51-jurisdiction dataset. Download the full dataset as CSV.

1. What changes on your annual tax bill

Virginia: Pensions, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals taxable; Georgia: Retirement income exclusion (pensions, 401(k), IRA, interest, dividends, capital gains, rental, plus max $5,000 earned income): up to $35,000 per person ages 62-64; Compare the two schedules directly rather than the headline top rates, because exclusions and age thresholds usually matter more than the rate.

2. What changes at death: state estate tax

Neither state levies an estate tax. Virginia: none (repealed for deaths on/after 7/1/2007) Georgia: none Only the federal estate tax applies.

3. What changes at death: state inheritance tax

Neither state levies an inheritance tax. Virginia: none Georgia: none

4. The one nobody prices: what probate costs your heirs

Virginia uses a reasonable-fee fee model (Personal representative entitled to ‘reasonable compensation’ (Va. Code §64.2-1208); in practice Commissioners of Accounts apply published guideline percentage scales (commonly around 5% of receipts, sliding), but these are guidelines, not statute. Attorney fees reasonable.); Georgia uses a hybrid model (PR: default statutory commission absent will/agreement (O.C.G.A. §53-6-60) — 2.5% of all sums of money received + 2.5% of all sums paid out, plus 10% commission on interest earned on loans made by the PR; separate provisions for in-kind property. Attorney fees: reasonable (no schedule).). Filing fees — Virginia: Probate tax of 10 cents per $100 of estate value, with no tax on estates of $15,000 or less (Va. Code §58.1-1712); localities may add up to one-third of the state tax (§58.1-1718); plus modest clerk recordation fees (e.g., $25 list of heirs, §64.2-509/58.1 fees). Verified on law.lis.virginia.gov. Georgia: $175 base for initial petition for letters (O.C.G.A. §15-9-60); with county surcharges typically ~$205-$210, plus ~$65 publication of notice to debtors/creditors

Full detail: probate cost by state and small-estate limits by state.

Probate cost in each state, specifically

Virginia uses a “reasonable fee” standard with no schedule, and its small-estate route does not clear a solely owned house. Georgia uses a hybrid standard — a statutory bound with reasonableness inside it, and its statute does not say whether that route reaches real property. The two states differ on that question, which is exactly the kind of thing a move changes. Full figures with the governing statute, the court filing fee and the small-estate threshold: Virginia probate cost and Georgia probate cost.

Four taxes, two states, one order of operations

Everything above changes together: what Virginia stops taking on withdrawals, what Georgia does not take at death, and what probate costs in each. The order you do things in — when you establish domicile, when you convert, when you retitle property — changes the total, and some of it cannot be undone afterwards. If a move is genuinely on the table, here is what to look for in an advisor who knows both Virginia and Georgia. If you would rather price it yourself first, the two-state comparison tool is free and asks for no email.

Will Virginia still tax me after I move to Georgia?

Not on your retirement withdrawals, once you genuinely change domicile — but that is a harder test than a change of address, and what you leave behind stays in reach.

• Domicile is a test, not a mailing address. A departing state can and does audit residency. Days present, voter registration, driver’s licence, where your doctors and advisers are, and where you keep what you value all count.
• A Roth conversion is taxed where you live in the year you convert. Sequencing a conversion after establishing the new domicile is often worth more than the annual saving — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.

Full state detail

Every figure above is summarized. The complete statute-cited breakdown for each state: Virginia retirement taxes and Georgia retirement taxes. To compare any other pair, start at the retirement tax relocation hub.

Widen the comparison

This page prices one corridor. To see every destination Virginia retirees consider and every origin state moving to Georgia, start there instead. For any pair not covered, the retirement tax comparison tool runs all 51 jurisdictions, and the probate cost calculator works out what settling the estate costs in each.

Talking this through

Relocation timing, Roth conversion sequencing and estate exposure interact, and the order you do them in changes the total. If you want a second opinion, understand what it should cost first — see our advisor cost guide.

Disclosure: the button above routes to an advertising partner and Clear Money Guide may earn a referral fee. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

Primary sources

• Va. Code § 58.1-322.03 (age deduction and SS subtraction)
• Va. Code § 58.1-322.02(24) (military benefits subtraction)
• Virginia Tax: Subtractions page and Military Benefits FAQ
• O.C.G.A. § 48-7-27(a)(5), (a)(5.1)
• Georgia DOR: Retirement Income Exclusion
• Va. Code §64.2-1208
• Va. Code §64.2-601
• Va. Code §58.1-1712
• Va. Code §58.1-1718
• O.C.G.A. §53-6-60
• O.C.G.A. §7-1-239
• O.C.G.A. §15-9-60

Methodology: every figure is quoted from Clear Money Guide’s statute-cited 51-jurisdiction datasets, compiled from state statutes, session laws and revenue-department publications and adversarially verified in July 2026. Nothing here is personalized tax or legal advice. Confirm your own facts with a qualified adviser before you move.