Does Georgia Tax Retirement Income? 2026 Rules & Exclusions

How Georgia taxes retirement income in 2026 (statute-cited)

What settling an estate costs in Georgia

Is Georgia a good state to retire in for taxes?

Georgia vs. its neighbors

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2026 edition · statute-cited · part of Clear Money Guide’s 51-state retirement tax series. This guide covers state taxes on retirement income and estate transfers; property and sales taxes vary by county and are outside its scope.

Updated July 24, 2026. Quick answer: far less than most guides say. Georgia’s 2026 income-tax rate is a flat 4.99% — HB 463 (signed May 11, 2026) cut it retroactively to January 1, 2026, so pages showing 5.19%, 5.39% or 5.75% are stale. More importantly for retirees, most never owe the full rate: Social Security is exempt outright, and Georgia’s retirement-income exclusion shelters up to $65,000 per person at 65+ ($35,000 at 62–64) across pensions, 401(k)/IRA withdrawals, interest, dividends, capital gains, rental income and up to $5,000 of earned income (O.C.G.A. §48-7-27(a)(5)).

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.

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

Before the tax question, 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.

For a pension earned elsewhere or paid after you move: does Georgia tax out-of-state pensions.

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

For trust income specifically: 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?.

For dividends and interest specifically: does Georgia tax dividends and interest.

For annuity payments specifically: 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?.

For military retired pay: 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.

For the sale of stocks, funds or real estate: does Georgia tax capital gains.

For 401(k) and IRA withdrawals specifically: does Georgia tax 401(k) and IRA withdrawals.

Before the tax question, the ERS of Georgia payment options, partial lump sum and refund rules: ERS Georgia retirement decisions.

How Georgia taxes retirement income in 2026 (statute-cited)

Income tax rate	Flat 4.99% (HB 463, retroactive to 1/1/2026; further 0.125%/yr trigger cuts scheduled toward 3.99%)
Social Security	Not taxed — excluded separately from (and on top of) the retirement exclusion
Retirement-income exclusion	$65,000/person at 65+; $35,000 at 62–64; covers pensions, 401(k)/IRA, interest, dividends, capital gains, rental, + up to $5,000 earned income (O.C.G.A. §48-7-27(a)(5)). Under 62 (non-military): no exclusion unless permanently disabled ($35,000)
Military retirement	Under 62: up to $17,500 (plus up to $17,500 more if Georgia earned income exceeds $17,500). From TY2027 (HB 266): up to $65,000 of military retirement income excludable for retirees under 65, in place of (not on top of) the standard retirement exclusion
Estate / inheritance tax	None
Coming in 2027	HB 463 raises the retirement exclusion to $70,000 starting TY2027

Worked example: a 65+ couple drawing $50,000 each from 401(k)s plus Social Security owes Georgia $0 — each spouse’s $50,000 sits under the $65,000-per-person exclusion, and Social Security never enters the calculation. A common error in ranking content is treating the $65,000 as a household cap or as covering Social Security; it is per person, and Social Security is exempt separately.

What settling an estate costs in Georgia

No estate or inheritance tax. Personal-representative compensation defaults to a statutory commission absent a will provision: 2.5% of money received plus 2.5% of money paid out (O.C.G.A. §53-6-60); attorney fees are reasonable-basis. Georgia has no general small-estate affidavit — alternatives are the “no administration necessary” order for intestate estates where every heir agrees to the division and the estate either owes no debts or every known creditor consents or is served (no dollar cap; O.C.G.A. §§53-2-40 and 53-2-41) and direct bank payment of an intestate decedent’s deposit of not more than $15,000, on affidavit, to the surviving spouse, or if none the children, then the parents, then the siblings (O.C.G.A. §7-1-239(b)). Opening probate costs $175 base (O.C.G.A. §15-9-60); total county filing fees are set locally (Cobb County lists $200 to probate a will in solemn form and Gwinnett County lists $202 for a petition for letters of administration), and newspaper publication, where required, is listed at $120 for four weeks in Cobb County and $120 to $180 in Gwinnett County. Context: probate cost by state · small-estate limits by state · will vs. trust calculator.

What the tax picture means for your own accounts

A state guide can set out how the rules treat retirement income in general, but not how they land on your particular mix of pensions, withdrawals and savings, and an adviser can work that through with you.

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Is Georgia a good state to retire in for taxes?

For retirees 65 and older with income under roughly $65,000 per person plus Social Security: effectively a no-income-tax state, with no tax at death either — and the exclusion rises to $70,000 in 2027. The gap to Florida and Tennessee only matters for large withdrawals above the exclusion, taxed at 4.99% and falling. Ages 62 to 64 get a $35,000 exclusion, against $65,000 at 65 and older; under 62, Georgia taxes retirement-account income like ordinary income, so early retirees should time Roth conversions and large withdrawals accordingly.

Georgia is one of 43 jurisdictions that do not tax Social Security at any income level in 2026. The other 8 exempt benefits only up to an income or age limit. Full rules and statutes: the 51-state table.

Georgia vs. its neighbors

State	Social Security	Pension / 401(k) / IRA	Estate tax	Inheritance tax
Georgia	Not taxed	Excluded up to $65,000/person at 65+ ($35k at 62–64)	None	None
Florida	Not taxed	Not taxed (no income tax)	None	None
South Carolina	Not taxed	Deductions: $3k under 65; $10k + senior deduction at 65+	None	None
Tennessee	Not taxed	Not taxed (no income tax)	None	None
North Carolina	Not taxed	Taxed at flat 3.99% (2026)	None (repealed 2013)	None

Comparison rows summarize general rules; see our 51-state retirement tax table for statute-cited detail.

Considering a Roth conversion? The converted amount is taxed as ordinary income in the year you convert, and Georgia may treat it differently from the retirement income above — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.

Finding a financial advisor in Georgia

Per the SEC’s July 2026 Investment Adviser roster, Georgia has 326 SEC-registered advisory firms (#12 nationally) managing $1.50 trillion (#14 by AUM). Full breakdown: Georgia advisor statistics. A cross-state move is exactly when fee structures deserve a second look — see the fee-drag calculator.

Thinking about moving?

Four taxes change when you move state in retirement, not one: income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. Corridor comparisons involving Georgia:

Moving to Georgia? See retiring to Georgia.

Compare any two states with the retirement tax comparison tool, or browse all corridors at the relocation hub.

What probate costs in Georgia

Georgia lets a will or written agreement set the personal representative’s pay; absent either, the statute fixes commissions at 2.5% of money received plus 2.5% of money paid out, and the probate court may allow extra compensation it deems reasonable (O.C.G.A. §§53-6-60 and 53-6-62). Georgia publishes no small-estate dollar figure at all; its shortcut is the intestate-only ‘no administration necessary’ order, which does reach real property but is limited by conditions rather than by value. Full detail with the governing statute, the court filing fee and the threshold: Georgia probate cost. To price a specific estate, use the probate cost calculator.

Cite or share this guide

Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “Georgia Retirement Taxes (2026 edition),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/georgia-retirement-taxes/. Free to cite with attribution and a link. Data verified July 23–24, 2026 against state statutes, session laws, and revenue-department guidance.

Figures verified against the Georgia Department of Revenue retirement income exclusion page, the 2025 IT-511 booklet, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service page, and summaries of HB 463 and HB 266 on September 30, 2026; the HB 463 rate cut and 2027 exclusion rest on secondary summaries, and the O.C.G.A. §53-6-60, §7-1-239 and §15-9-60 probate figures, the HB 266 age detail and the county fee estimates were not re-checked.

Primary sources

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Does Georgia Tax Retirement Income? The $65,000 Exclusion, 2026’s 4.99% Rate, and What Retirees Actually Owe

What this state guide covers