Does Georgia Tax Pensions? (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026. Quick answer: Georgia does not tax Social Security at all, and separately allows a retirement income exclusion for filers 62 or older (or permanently and totally disabled at any age) of up to $35,000 per person for ages 62 to 64 and up to $65,000 per person at 65 and older, covering pensions, annuities, interest, dividends, capital gains, and a small amount of earned income, plus a separate exclusion specifically for military retirement pay available to filers under 62.

Federal civil service pensions in Georgia: does Georgia tax federal pensions.

State retirement-income forms, line by line: Georgia retirement income exclusion.

Inherited an IRA? What the state’s own documents say about taxing those withdrawals: Georgia tax on inherited IRA withdrawals.

Hold a 403(b) or 457(b)? What the state’s own documents say about taxing those withdrawals: does Georgia tax 403(b) and 457(b) withdrawals.

Drawing a pension? Whether the state withholds tax from it, from its own documents: Georgia tax withholding on pension payments.

The Georgia Public School Employees Retirement System options and refund rules, from the system’s own documents: Georgia PSERS retirement decisions.

The Atlanta Firefighters’ Pension Fund rules, from the City Code: Atlanta firefighters pension decisions.

Selling your home? How the state taxes the profit, from its own tax documents: Does Georgia tax the profit from selling your home?.

The state’s income tax schedule: the Georgia tax brackets for 2026.

Withdrawing from an IRA or 401(k)? Whether the state withholds tax from it, from its own documents: Georgia tax withholding on IRA and 401(k) withdrawals.

A pension earned in another state, or paid after a move, is covered here: does Georgia tax out-of-state pensions.

The Atlanta General Employees’ Pension Plan options and refund rules, from the plan’s own summary: Atlanta general employees pension decisions.

Trusts have their own page: does Georgia tax trust income.

Inheriting from, or planning for, someone in this state? Whether the state has an inheritance tax, from its own tax documents: Does Georgia have an inheritance tax?.

Dividends and interest have their own page: does Georgia tax dividends and interest.

Annuity payments have their own page: does Georgia tax annuity income.

Planning for what you leave behind? The state’s estate tax answer, from its own tax documents: Does Georgia have an estate tax?.

Military retired pay has its own page: does Georgia tax military retirement.

Saving for a child’s college? The state’s 529 break has its own page: Georgia 529 plan tax deduction.

Selling stocks, funds or real estate has its own page: does Georgia tax capital gains.

Withdrawals from a 401(k) or IRA have their own page: does Georgia tax 401(k) and IRA withdrawals.

The ERS of Georgia options and partial lump sum, from the system’s own handbook: ERS Georgia retirement decisions.

More on Georgia: District of Columbia to Georgia Retirement Taxes (2026), Georgia Executor Bond Requirement and Georgia Power of Attorney Requirements.

Confidence note: high. This page is scoped to pension, IRA and 401(k) taxation specifically. For the state’s full retirement-tax picture (Social Security, tax rates, estate and probate), see how Georgia taxes retirement income generally.

How pensions and retirement-account withdrawals are taxed

Public (state/local government) pensions	Public (government) pensions are pooled with other unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains, royalties, net rental income) under Georgia’s retirement income exclusion: up to $35,000 per person for taxpayers 62 to 64 or permanently and totally disabled, and up to $65,000 per person for taxpayers 65 and older, per O.C.G.A. sec. 48-7-27(a)(5) and Georgia Department of Revenue guidance.
Private (employer) pensions	Private employer pensions receive identical treatment to public pensions: pooled into the same $35,000 (ages 62-64) or $65,000 (age 65+) per-person retirement income exclusion, with each spouse on a joint return qualifying separately based on their own income.
Federal government pensions (FERS/CSRS)	Federal civil service pensions (FERS/CSRS) are treated the same as any other pension for purposes of the retirement income exclusion described above; Georgia’s guidance does not single out federal civilian pensions for different treatment.
Military retirement pay	Beginning January 1, 2022, Georgia allows a separate military retirement income exclusion of up to $17,500 for taxpayers under 62, with an additional $17,500 (up to $35,000 total) available to those who also have more than $17,500 of Georgia earned income; each spouse may claim this separately. Military retirees 62 and older instead use the general retirement income exclusion described above.
IRA and 401(k)/403(b) distributions	IRA and 401(k)/403(b) distributions are unearned retirement income and are pooled into the same $35,000 (ages 62-64) or $65,000 (65+) per-person retirement income exclusion as pensions; Georgia’s published guidance does not describe them differently from pension and annuity income.
General retirement-income exclusion	The retirement income exclusion described above is itself Georgia’s general, age-based exclusion: up to $35,000 per person for ages 62 to 64 (or any age if permanently and totally disabled), and up to $65,000 per person at 65 and older, covering pensions, annuities, interest, dividends, capital gains, royalties, net rental income, and up to $5,000 of earned income, per the official 2025 Form IT-511 Individual Income Tax Booklet; a Cornell LII mirror of the underlying administrative rule (last amended 2011) and the DOR Retirees FAQ page still print an older $4,000 figure that the current DOR booklet and the DOR Retirement Income Exclusion page have since superseded.

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Social Security

Georgia fully exempts Social Security and Railroad Retirement income from state income tax; see the sibling Social Security page for details. Social Security has its own rules in every state; see the full breakdown in how Georgia taxes retirement income generally.

Figures verified against the Georgia Department of Revenue 2025 IT-511 booklet, its Retirement Income Exclusion page and Retirees FAQ, and the Cornell LII mirror of Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 560-7-4-.02 on September 30, 2026; the text of O.C.G.A. sec. 48-7-27(a)(5) was not re-checked.

Statute and sources

Governing citation: O.C.G.A. sec. 48-7-27(a)(5); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 560-7-4-.02.

Read September 5, 2026.

General information drawn from each state’s own published statutes and revenue-department guidance, not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures and exemption amounts are current as of the date in the quick answer, are set by state law, and can change by future legislation; any pending bill named on this page is not yet law. This page cannot see your own return, which governs. We are not a law firm, a tax adviser, or a fiduciary, and this is not personalized advice.