Georgia franchise tax filing information

Georgia does not have a franchise tax, but it does have a "Net Worth Tax" that fills the same role as franchise taxes in other states. The state publishes a detailed FAQ on the subject. The net worth tax is part of Georgia's corporate income tax return, Form 600 (the 2025 edition is current), so it is typically filed by a tax accountant. The net worth computation appears as a schedule inside the return rather than as a standalone filing.

Georgia requires corporations that do business in Georgia, own property there, or are registered with the Secretary of State to file the net worth portion of Form 600 or 600S every year. This article focuses on C Corporations and on LLCs formed or registered in Georgia that are taxed as corporations.

The net worth tax return is also separate from Georgia's annual registration filing, which goes to the Secretary of State rather than the Department of Revenue and is due April 1 each year, per Georgia.gov. That registration carries a $50 filing fee plus a $10 service charge, per the state's official fee schedule, and Georgia.gov states the service charge applies to registrations submitted by mail. A $25 late fee applies after April 1. April 1 is a fixed calendar date rather than an anniversary date, and it is subject to annual change, so confirm it against the Secretary of State's current instructions each year. The two obligations run on different calendars with different agencies, so track them on separate compliance timelines.

When is Georgia's franchise tax due?

Georgia sets the net worth tax deadline from the start of the tax period, not its end. Both deadlines sit in O.C.G.A. § 48-13-77, one per entity class:

• C Corporations and LLCs taxed as corporations file and pay on the fifteenth calendar day of the fourth calendar month following the beginning of the tax period.

• S Corporations file and pay on the fifteenth day of the third calendar month following the beginning of the tax period, using Form 600S.

The statute says "on" those dates; the Department of Revenue's guidance phrases them as "on or before."

The tax itself is computed from the prior year's ending balance sheet, and the net worth tax period begins the day after the income tax year ends. The Department of Revenue's own example pairs an income tax year running January 1 to December 31 with a net worth tax period running January 1 to December 31 of the following year.

For a calendar-year C Corporation, that puts the return due April 15, generally tracking the federal corporate filing date. For a calendar-year S Corporation it falls on March 15. Both dates are subject to annual change, so confirm them against current Georgia instructions each year.

There is also a separate initial net worth return for newly formed or newly qualified corporations.

The initial net worth return

C Corporations and LLCs taxed as corporations doing business in Georgia file an initial net worth return on or before the fifteenth day of the fourth calendar month after incorporation or qualification in the state. The Department of Revenue applies that fourth-month deadline to net worth years beginning on or after January 1, 2017. Before that change, C Corporations used the third month. The 2017 change did not affect S Corporations, which continue to file on the third-month schedule.

Section 48-13-77 lets the commissioner authorize combining the net worth return with the state income tax return, which is why the annual net worth schedule sits inside the corporate income tax return packet. The initial return is the exception: Department of Revenue guidance directs filers to submit it on its own, with no income tax information reported on it.

The initial return is based on the corporation's beginning net worth per Federal Schedule L, the balance sheet schedule on federal Form 1120, and covers the period from incorporation or qualification to the end of the year. If that period is shorter than six months, the tax due is 50 percent of the full-year amount, a rule codified at O.C.G.A. § 48-13-73(b).

How is the Georgia net worth tax calculated?

Georgia charges the net worth tax on a graduated table under O.C.G.A. § 48-13-73(a), running from $125 at the bottom to a $5,000 ceiling, with no tax at or below $100,000. The table below reproduces the current brackets, which also appear in the IT-611 instruction booklet.

The $100,000 exemption came from SB 133, enacted in 2017 as Act 241, and applies to net worth years beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The brackets have not changed since. Corporations with net worth of $100,000 or less owe no tax but must still file a return, per the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Georgia measures net worth as issued capital stock, paid-in surplus, and earned surplus, computed from the prior year's ending balance sheet. The Code carries that three-part formulation inside the bracket table at § 48-13-73(a) and inside the exemption at O.C.G.A. § 48-13-71 rather than in a standalone definition, so there is no single subsection to point to for the term itself.

Georgia domestic corporations and domesticated foreign corporations pay net worth tax on 100 percent of net worth. Foreign qualified corporations pay only on net worth employed within Georgia, calculated as the ratio of Georgia assets plus Georgia gross receipts to total assets plus total gross receipts, under O.C.G.A. § 48-13-75. Subsection (b) of that section lets the commissioner authorize an alternate method when the standard formula does not accurately reflect the volume of business done in the state.

Georgia's recent tax cuts do not touch these figures. HB 463, signed May 11, 2026, lowered Georgia's corporate and individual income tax rates from 5.19 percent to 4.99 percent for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, per the governor's press release. It amended the income tax code and left the net worth tax brackets untouched.

Track your Georgia net worth tax deadlines with Discern

Georgia splits one company's compliance across two agencies and two calendars: the net worth schedule inside Form 600 or 600S at the Department of Revenue, and the annual registration at the Secretary of State each spring. These returns are typically prepared by a tax accountant, so Discern works as the tracking layer, alerting you before Georgia deadlines come due and keeping them visible alongside your Secretary of State obligations.

For teams managing entities in multiple states, Discern centralizes registered agent coverage, annual report filings, foreign registrations, and franchise tax deadline tracking across all 51 jurisdictions in one platform, so Georgia due dates stay visible next to the filings you are handling in other states.

Schedule a demo to see how Discern simplifies compliance

Frequently asked questions about Georgia's net worth tax

Here are answers to common questions about Georgia's net worth tax.

Is Georgia's net worth tax the same as a franchise tax?

Georgia does not impose a tax labeled "franchise tax." The net worth tax fills that role, applying to corporations incorporated in Georgia, domesticated foreign corporations, and corporations organized elsewhere that do business or own property in the state. The Department of Revenue does describe it as levied in exchange for the privilege of exercising a corporate franchise in Georgia, which is where the informal name comes from.

Do partnerships or single-member LLCs owe the net worth tax?

No. The Department of Revenue states there is no net worth tax on partnerships, and disregarded single-member LLCs are not subject. If a corporation owns a single-member LLC that does business or owns property in Georgia, the corporate owner owes the tax on that activity.

Does a corporation with low or negative net worth still file?

Yes. A corporation at or under the $100,000 threshold owes nothing but must submit the return, and a corporation with deficit net worth must also file but does not owe the net worth tax, per the IT-611S booklet.

Did Georgia's 2026 income tax cut change the net worth tax?

No. HB 463 lowered the corporate and individual income tax rates for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. It made no change to the net worth tax brackets, the $100,000 exemption, or the filing deadlines, all of which still trace back to the 2017 amendments.

How much does Georgia's annual registration cost, and is it the same filing?

It is a different filing with a different agency. The annual registration goes to the Secretary of State and carries a $50 filing fee plus a $10 service charge for filings submitted by mail, with a $25 late fee after the April 1 deadline, a date worth confirming against the state's current instructions each year. The net worth tax goes to the Department of Revenue as a schedule inside Form 600 or 600S.

Can a foreign corporation use a different apportionment method?

Yes, but not unilaterally. The standard formula compares Georgia assets and Georgia gross receipts to the corporation's totals. Where that formula does not accurately reflect the volume of business done in Georgia, the revenue commissioner may authorize an alternate method by regulation.