Clear Money Guide
What this state guide covers
A quick view of the questions, practical details and source notes below.
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Updated July 26, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Georgia still taxes retirement withdrawals (top rate 4.99%), but levies no estate or inheritance tax. Four taxes decide what a move is actually worth — income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. This page prices all four for Georgia and shows what each arriving state gains or gives up.
What Georgia charges a retiree in 2026
| Tax | Georgia position, 2026 |
|---|---|
| State income tax | Flat 4.99% (HB 463, signed May 11, 2026, cut the rate retroactively to January 1, 2026; further trigger cuts of 0.125%/yr are scheduled toward 3.99%) |
| Social Security | not taxed (fully excluded) |
| Pension / 401(k) / IRA | 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, and up to $65,000 per person at 65 or older (Ga. DOR Form IT-511, Schedule 1). |
| Estate tax | none |
| Inheritance tax | none |
| Probate fee model | hybrid |
| Probate filing fee | $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 |
| Small-estate limit | No general small-estate affidavit or dollar threshold. Alternatives: ‘no administration necessary’ order for intestate estates with no debts and unanimous heir agreement (no dollar cap); financial institutions may release up to $15,000 in deposits directly to family for intestate decedents (O.C.G.A. §7-1-239); vehicle title transfer by affidavit via DOR. |
What you gain by arriving, depending on where you leave
The saving is not a property of Georgia — it is a property of the pair. From some states the income-tax gain is the whole story; from others it is exactly zero and the real money is a death tax you leave behind.
- Moving from Connecticut — the top rate falls; the death taxes matter more
- Moving from Illinois — you would START paying state income tax here
- Moving from Michigan — the top rate falls; the death taxes matter more
- Moving from New Jersey — the top rate falls; the death taxes matter more
- Moving from New York — the top rate falls; the death taxes matter more
- Moving from Ohio — the top rate falls; the death taxes matter more
- Moving from Pennsylvania — you would START paying state income tax here
- Moving from Virginia — the top rate falls; the death taxes matter more
- Moving from Wisconsin — the top rate falls; the death taxes matter more
New corridors into Georgia
What a move to Georgia is worth depends entirely on the state being left. These origins each carry a different combination of income tax, estate tax and inheritance tax, priced separately:
More corridors into Georgia
What a move to Georgia is worth depends entirely on the state being left — these origins each carry a different combination of income tax, estate tax and inheritance tax, priced separately:
Getting the sequence right
Arriving in Georgia is the easy half. The order you do things in — when you establish domicile, when you convert, when you retitle or sell property back home — changes the total, and some of it is irreversible. See finding an advisor for a cross-state move.
What a move to Georgia does not fix
- Domicile is a test, not an address. Your departing state can audit the move. Days present, licence, registrations and where your advisers sit all count.
- Property left behind stays reachable by the old state’s estate rules.
- Probate still applies. No estate tax is not the same as no probate; Georgia uses a hybrid fee model.
- Roth conversions are taxed where you are domiciled that year — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.
Full detail: Georgia retirement taxes. Compare any pair with the retirement tax comparison tool, or browse all corridors at the relocation hub.
Getting the order right
Move timing, conversion sequencing and estate exposure interact. Know what advice should cost before you buy it — see our advisor cost guide.
Cite or share this guide
Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “Retiring to Georgia: the 2026 Tax Position,” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/retiring-to-georgia-taxes/. Free to cite with attribution. Download the full dataset as CSV, or contact contact@clearmoneyguide.com for custom cuts.
Primary sources
- O.C.G.A. § 48-7-27(a)(5), (a)(5.1)
- Georgia DOR: Retirement Income Exclusion
- O.C.G.A. §53-6-60
- O.C.G.A. §7-1-239
- O.C.G.A. §15-9-60