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when will kemp send out checks

For “when will Kemp send out checks,” people are usually talking about Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s special state income tax refund payments (“Kemp bucks”).

Quick Scoop

  • In 2025, Georgia announced a third round of one‑time special tax refund checks, tied to House Bill 112, with payments beginning “this week” as of early June 2025 and then rolling out over the following weeks. Eligible taxpayers who had filed their 2023 and 2024 returns on time were told to expect refunds within “the coming weeks.”
  • Typical caps on these special refunds have been:
    • 250 dollars for single filers and married filing separately.
* 375 dollars for heads of household.

* 500 dollars for married filing jointly.

What about 2026?

  • As of early 2026, commentary on Georgia’s budget notes that Kemp’s amended fiscal year 2026 plan includes up to about 1 billion dollars for a fourth round of surplus‑funded tax relief, suggesting another wave of “Kemp checks” is planned, but exact issue dates depend on when the General Assembly finalizes legislation and when the Department of Revenue schedules payments.
  • In past rounds, once the bill was signed and DOR gave the green light, checks and direct deposits began within weeks and continued on a rolling basis, not all on a single day.

What you can realistically expect

If the 2026 refund follows the same pattern as 2022–2025:

  1. The legislature must pass and the governor must sign the new refund bill (the budget documents only indicate the intent and funding room).
  1. Georgia DOR will then:
    • Confirm who is eligible (usually you must have filed the relevant tax‑year return, paid tax, and not owe the state).
 * Announce a start week for issuing checks/direct deposits, with most people receiving money over the next several weeks rather than on a single date.

How to check your own status

  • Use the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Georgia Tax Center and its “Surplus Tax Refund Eligibility Tool” once a new refund is officially launched; you will need your tax year, SSN or TIN, and federal adjusted gross income.
  • Watch for official announcements on:
    • The Georgia DOR website.
* The governor’s press releases and local Georgia news, which usually report the start week of payments.

Bottom line: there isn’t a single fixed “Kemp check day” every year. For 2026, budget documents show the intent and money for another round, but the exact send‑out dates will only be known once the refund bill is finalized and the revenue department sets the schedule.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.