Florida vs Georgia taxes

One line of difference

Florida and Georgia payslips carry the same federal deductions, and neither state takes anything for unemployment, disability or family leave: both fund unemployment insurance from employers and run no wage-funded leave program. So the gap is exactly Georgia’s income tax.

On $75,000 a single filer keeps $61,593 in Florida and $58,599 in Georgia: $2,994 a year more in Florida, about $250 a month.

Georgia’s tax is simple to work out. It charges a flat 4.99% after a standard deduction of $15,000 for a single filer, or $30,000 filing jointly. Both were cut for 2026: the rate from 5.09%, and the deduction raised from its earlier level. On $75,000 the tax is about 4.0% of salary, below the headline rate because the deduction shelters the first slice.

How the gap grows

Every dollar earned above the deduction adds 4.99% to Florida’s lead, so it rises in a straight line: $1,747 on $50,000, $6,737 on $150,000 and $11,727 on $250,000. The effective Georgia rate climbs toward the headline one as the fixed deduction shelters proportionally less: 4.7% of salary at $250,000.

For a married couple filing jointly the deduction doubles, so they pay nothing to Georgia on the first $30,000 of combined pay. On $150,000 jointly Florida keeps $5,988 more, a little less than a single filer on the same pay.

After you stop working

The gap narrows sharply in retirement. Florida taxes no income of any kind. Georgia exempts Social Security fully, and from age 62, with a larger amount at 65, it lets each person exclude retirement income, including pensions, interest, dividends and capital gains, up to a set amount. The exclusion applies per person, so a married couple both over 65 can shelter twice the individual amount. These figures model wages only and apply none of those exclusions, so for a retiree they overstate the Georgia side.

What the take-home figure does not count

Florida funds itself through sales tax and local property tax, and its homestead exemption and Save Our Homes cap limit the taxable value of a primary residence and how fast it can rise. Housing costs differ widely between and within the two states. None of that is in the figures above, which compare only what is taken from wages.

Questions people ask

Do you take home more in Florida or Georgia on $75,000?

Florida, by $2,994 a year, or $250 a month, for a single filer in 2026. That counts federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax and every state payroll deduction.

Is the difference the same at every salary?

No, but the same side stays ahead. The gap is $749 a year at $30,000 and $11,727 at $250,000, for a single filer.

Does Atlanta, Savannah or any Florida city levy a local income tax?

No. No Georgia city or county levies an income tax, and neither does any Florida county or city. Both columns hold anywhere in their state.

How does Georgia treat overtime and tips?

Differently from the federal government. Georgia did not fully adopt the federal overtime and tipped-wage exemptions: only a limited amount of each may be excluded from Georgia taxable income, and the wider federal exemption does not carry across. Florida has no income tax, so the question does not arise there.

Is Georgia's rate still coming down?

The 2026 cut to 4.99% is one step in a legislated phase-down that began when Georgia replaced its graduated brackets with a single rate. The figures here use the 2026 rate and deduction and will follow the enacted figures for later years.

What this comparison covers

Income tax and payroll deductions on wages: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax, every state payroll deduction. It does not compare sales tax, property tax, housing or the cost of living, which can outweigh the difference in take-home pay. Figures assume the standard deduction, no dependents and no pre-tax retirement contributions. See how we calculate.