Does Georgia tax Social Security benefits?

No. Georgia fully exempts Social Security retirement benefits from state income tax, regardless of your age or other income. Only your other retirement income may be taxed, and even that is reduced by the retirement exclusion.

How big is Georgia's retirement income exclusion?

Each taxpayer aged 62 to 64 may exclude up to $35,000 of retirement income, rising to $65,000 once you reach 65. Married couples each get their own exclusion, so a senior couple can exclude up to $130,000.

What income qualifies for the exclusion?

The exclusion covers pensions, annuities, interest, dividends, capital gains, rental income, and IRA or 401(k) withdrawals. Earned income (wages or self-employment) qualifies only up to $5,000 of the total exclusion amount.

What rate applies to retirement income above the exclusion?

Any retirement income beyond the exclusion is taxed at Georgia's flat individual income tax rate of 5.39% for 2024. Social Security never counts, so it is excluded before the rate is applied.

Is Georgia a tax-friendly state for retirees?

Generally yes. With no tax on Social Security and a generous exclusion that shelters most pension and 401(k) income for seniors, many Georgia retirees owe little or no state income tax. This tool estimates that, but is not tax advice.

Georgia Retirement Income Tax Calculator

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Georgia is one of the more retiree-friendly states: it never taxes Social Security and lets seniors exclude a large chunk of other retirement income. This calculator applies those rules to your Social Security, pension, and 401(k) withdrawals to estimate your Georgia tax.

How it works

The state handles each source differently:

Social Security      always fully exempt
Retirement exclusion per person:
   age 62-64   up to $35,000
   age 65+     up to $65,000
   (earned income counts toward only $5,000 of this)
Remaining income     taxed at flat 5.39%

The exclusion applies to pensions, annuities, interest, dividends, capital gains, and IRA or 401(k) withdrawals. Social Security is removed first and never uses up your exclusion.

Example

A 67-year-old single retiree receives $24,000 of Social Security (exempt), $30,000 from a pension, and $20,000 from a 401(k) — $50,000 of excludable retirement income. The $65,000 exclusion covers all of it, so Georgia tax is $0.

Notes

This is a simplified estimate. It models the single-person exclusion and flat rate but not the married-couple doubling of the exclusion in every edge case, the $5,000 earned-income sublimit nuances, or federal tax. Confirm with dor.georgia.gov.