Georgia vs Florida Taxes: Florida Keeps $4,241.50 More Pay

Verdict: Florida keeps $4,241.50 more pay — housing decides the rest

Georgia vs Florida take-home pay by income: Florida wins every row

Quick answer: Florida wins at every income because Georgia takes 4.99% of income above its $15,000 single standard deduction while Florida takes $0. Confirm your own salary with the Georgia paycheck calculator and the Florida paycheck calculator, then use the table below to see the exact gap.

The table below shows single filers taking the 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100). Federal tax uses 2026 IRS floors [0, 12400, 50400, 105700, 201775, 256225, 640600] at rates 10 to 37 percent. FICA is shown at a flat 7.65% and is identical in both states, so it never changes the gap. Georgia state tax equals 4.99% times gross minus the $15,000 Georgia single standard deduction, and Florida state tax is $0 in every row.

Amounts rounded to the nearest dollar except cents shown for Georgia rows. FICA shown at a flat 7.65%; above the Social Security wage base, actual FICA is lower in both states and the gap is unaffected because FICA is identical either way.

How each row was computed: federal taxable income equals gross minus $16,100. Federal tax is bracket math on the taxable amount (check: $83,900 taxable at $100K gives $1,240 plus $4,560 plus $7,370, totaling $13,170). FICA equals gross times 7.65%. Georgia tax equals 4.99% times gross minus $15,000 (check: $85,000 times 4.99% equals $4,241.50). Take-home equals gross minus federal minus FICA minus state tax. Married filing jointly uses double the federal floors, a $32,200 federal standard deduction, and Georgia's $30,000 joint standard deduction — and Florida still wins every row.

High earners should note the gap keeps growing: at $250K the Florida edge reaches $11,726.50 per year, because every extra Georgia dollar above the deduction is taxed at 4.99% while every extra Florida dollar is taxed at zero. That is why a move from Atlanta to Miami can fund a full Roth IRA contribution from state-tax savings alone.

Georgia vs Florida: honest pros and cons

Taxes are only half the decision. Here is the one-line version of each side — and if you want more state pairs like this one, browse our state tax comparison hub.

Georgia: pros and cons

Pros:

• Flat 4.99% rate is simple, predictable, and lower than most states with income tax.
• $15,000 single and $30,000 joint Georgia standard deductions shield the first dollars.
• Atlanta housing costs far less than Miami, stretching the smaller paycheck further.
• Social Security is exempt from Georgia tax and seniors get large retirement exclusions.

Cons:

• $4,241.50 state tax on a $100K single salary versus $0 in Florida.
• Property is reassessed to market value every year with only a small $2,000 state homestead base.
• Atlanta combined sales tax near 8.9% with FLOST and SPLOST add-ons.
• Every raise above the deduction is taxed at 4.99% with no cap or relief.

Florida: pros and cons

Pros:

• Zero state income tax at every income level with no state return to file.
• $50,000 homestead exemption plus a 3% Save-Our-Homes annual cap with portability.
• Same $100K salary keeps $4,241.50 more than Georgia, every single year.
• No state tax on Social Security, pensions, or investment income for retirees.

Cons:

• Homeowners and flood insurance can be the highest in the nation near the coast.
• Discretionary surtax pushes many counties to 7-8.5% at checkout.
• Miami housing costs can erase the paycheck advantage for new buyers.
• Flood-zone diligence, elevation certificates, and wind mitigation add moving costs.

Property tax: Florida Save-Our-Homes cap vs Georgia yearly reassessment

Quick answer: Florida protects long-term owners better: a $50,000 homestead exemption plus a 3% annual cap on assessment growth. Georgia reassesses homes to fair market value each year and starts from only a $2,000 state homestead exemption, though some counties add floating local exemptions.

• Florida exempts $50,000 of home value first, then caps annual assessed growth at 3% for homesteaded homes, with portability of up to $500,000 in accrued benefit to a new Florida home.
• Georgia assesses at 40% of fair market value and mails new assessments every year, so a hot Atlanta market raises the bill immediately unless a county floating exemption applies.
• A $300K home in Florida exempts $50K first, leaving $250K taxable at roughly 0.85-1.0%, or about $2,100-$2,500 per year.
• The same $300K home in Georgia faces roughly 0.87-0.95% on the full assessed value, or about $2,600-$2,850, climbing each year the market rises.

Georgia counties can soften the blow: Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and several others offer floating or frozen homestead exemptions that cap the taxable growth for county or school levies. But these vary street by street, must be applied for after closing, and never match the automatic statewide compounding of Save-Our-Homes. Florida owners who stay put for a decade routinely pay tax on assessed values far below market price, while Georgia owners pay on something close to this year's appraisal.

Try it in the calculator above: enter a home value to see a rough property-tax estimate for both states next to your take-home comparison. Then confirm the exact levy with the county tax commissioner in Georgia or the county property appraiser in Florida, because local millage moves the final bill by hundreds of dollars.

Sales tax: Georgia FLOST and SPLOST vs Florida discretionary surtax

Quick answer: Georgia starts at a 4% state base but local options often push checkout to 7-8.9%, while Florida starts at 6% with county surtax commonly pushing checkout to 7-8.5%. Atlanta shoppers usually pay more at the register than most Florida shoppers.

Georgia charges a 4% state base rate and lets counties stack SPLOST, ESPLOST, LOST, FLOST, and MARTA add-ons, which commonly push the register total to 7-8.9% depending on the county. Atlanta sits near 8.9% in Fulton County. Florida charges a 6% state base rate and lets counties add a discretionary sales surtax, which commonly pushes the register total to 7-8.5% depending on the county. Groceries get partial breaks in both states, and neither state taxes most unprepared food the way a restaurant meal is taxed. For a household spending $30,000 on taxable goods, a one-point combined-rate difference is about $300 per year — real money, but far smaller than the $4,241.50 income-tax gap on a $100K salary.

One planning note: Georgia's patchwork of FLOST and SPLOST penny taxes means two homes ten miles apart can face different checkout rates, so budget with your exact county rate. Florida buyers should do the same with the county surtax, especially on vehicles and boats where the surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of the price in most counties.

Retirees: Florida zero on everything vs Georgia senior exclusions

Quick answer: Florida taxes zero retirement income of any kind and adds homestead portability, while Georgia exempts Social Security and lets seniors exclude up to $65,000 of retirement income per person at 65 plus — but wages and pensions above the exclusion still face 4.99%.

Florida is the simpler retiree state: no tax on Social Security, pensions, 401(k) withdrawals, IRA distributions, or investment income, plus the $50,000 homestead exemption, the 3% Save-Our-Homes cap, and portability that carries up to $500,000 of accrued benefit to the next Florida home. Georgia is friendlier than its flat rate suggests: Social Security is fully exempt, workers aged 62-64 can exclude up to $35,000 of retirement income per person, and those 65 and older can exclude up to $65,000 per person. A retired couple over 65 can therefore shield up to $130,000 of pension and investment income from the 4.99% rate, though part-time wages above the exclusion are still taxed.

Bottom line: a retiree living mostly on Social Security plus moderate savings does nearly as well in Georgia as in Florida. A retiree with large pensions, continued consulting income, or a high-value home keeps meaningfully more in Florida. Either way, collect property insurance quotes early — coastal Florida premiums can exceed the entire Georgia income-tax bill the move was meant to escape.

Moving between Georgia and Florida checklist

Quick answer: Georgia requires a final part-year return while Florida requires none, so the move is about the Georgia exit return, homestead deadlines, insurance bind dates, licenses, and payroll address. Work through these 8 steps in order and keep every proof.

1. Fix your move date and keep lease or deed proof. Your Georgia part-year filing, homestead start, insurance bind date, and payroll address all anchor to this date — save the signed lease or closing papers.
2. File homestead immediately in your new state. Georgia county exemptions and the Florida $50K exemption both require application; Florida deadlines cluster around March 1, so do not wait until tax season.
3. Bind homeowners and flood insurance before closing. Get wind, hail, hurricane, and flood quotes for the exact address early, especially in Miami, Tampa, or coastal Georgia, and confirm the lender accepts the policy.
4. Get your new license and register to vote within the state deadline. Georgia requires a new license within 30 days of establishing residency; Florida requires action within 30 days of starting work or registering a vehicle.
5. Register vehicles and update registration records. Transfer plates, update the insurance garaging address, and close out Peach Pass or SunPass accounts tied to the old state.
6. Give payroll your new address and update withholding. Georgia uses Form G-4 for state withholding while Florida has no state withholding form — confirm Georgia withholding stops and only federal withholding continues.
7. Re-shop sales-tax assumptions in your budget. Update your monthly budget for the new county combined rate, since Atlanta near 8.9% versus a 7% Florida county shifts a $2,500 spending month by almost $50.
8. Keep a proof folder and check refund math. Store the lease or deed, utility bills, license, and voter card together. A move year changes Georgia filing status and federal credits, so run our federal tax refund calculator before filing.