Georgia 529 tax deduction in 2026
Georgia counts its cap child by child, which makes a large family the main winner of the Path2College deduction.
Georgia tax saved on this contribution
$299
5.0 % of what you put in comes back on your 2026 return.
| Subtracted from state income | $6,000 |
| Your state marginal rate | 4.99 % |
| Cap that applies this year | $8,000 |
| Back per $1,000 contributed | $50 |
Georgia: Path2College 529 contributions deductible up to $8,000 per beneficiary per year on a joint return, $4,000 for all other returns; contributions made by the federal IRA deadline (April 15) can count for the prior year. For 2026-2030 only, contributions to another state's 529 plan that gives its taxpayers a deduction for Path2College contributions are deductible up to $4,000 joint / $2,000 others per beneficiary, within the same overall $8,000/$4,000 cap. Read on 2026-10-19. No federal deduction exists for 529 contributions.
| Taxable income | Marginal rate | Tax saved |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | 4.99 % | $299 |
| $100,000 | 4.99 % | $299 |
| $200,000 | 4.99 % | $299 |
| $400,000 | 4.99 % | $299 |
Worked out by Radif Partners · How we calculate · Georgia rule read on October 19, 2026, brackets of tax year 2026 · not tax advice
Georgia lets a family subtract Path2College 529 contributions of up to $8,000 per beneficiary on a joint return and $4,000 per beneficiary on any other return, so the ceiling rises with every child who has an account. At the flat 4.99 % rate that applies to 2026, a fully used joint cap is worth $399 for one child; a couple earning $140,000 who put $16,000 into two accounts saves $798. Deposits made by April 15 can be counted on the previous year's return. The plan treats K-12 costs up to $20,000 a year, credential programs, apprenticeships and student loan payments as free of Georgia tax. Deducted contributions return to Georgia income when money leaves for a nonqualified use or rolls to another state's plan. A temporary 2026 to 2030 deduction for some other states' plans exists but is not modeled by the calculator on this page.
| Benefit for contributions | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Cap | $4,000 single, $8,000 joint per child (beneficiary) |
| Another state’s plan counts | No, in-state plan only |
| State plans (official names, no recommendation) | Path2College 529 Plan |
| Account balance limit | $550,000 |
| K-12 withdrawals qualified for state tax | Yes |
| 529 to Roth IRA rollover qualified | Yes |
| Student loan payments qualified | Yes |
| Add-back on a rollover to another state’s plan | Yes |
The ceiling follows the beneficiary
Many states set one limit for the whole return. Georgia ties its limit to each designated beneficiary instead, as the Path2College plan description puts it. A joint couple with two children in college accounts can subtract up to $16,000 in total and gets $798 back at 4.99 %. Add a third child and the room grows to $24,000, worth $1,198. Because the rate is flat, the value of each subtracted dollar does not depend on income, only on how many dollars fit under the cap.
Single filers, heads of household and married people filing separately all share the lower figure, $4,000 per beneficiary. A single parent at $68,000 who deposits $5,500 for one child subtracts $4,000 and saves $200; the extra $1,500 still grows in the account but earns nothing on this year's return, and the state material read does not describe a carryforward.
Georgia saving by number of children
Georgia tax saved on this contribution
$1,198
| Subtracted from state income | $24,000 |
| Your state marginal rate | 4.99 % |
| Cap that applies this year | $24,000 |
| Back per $1,000 contributed | $50 |
A deposit in early April can still count for last year
The Path2College tax time page says contributions made by the federal filing deadline, April 15, can be applied to the prior tax year. A family that missed December can still fill last year's cap in the spring, then start on the current year's cap right after. Check that the deposit is designated for the right year when you make it.
Plans of other states: the 2026 to 2030 exception
For tax years 2026 through 2030 only, the plan description allows a deduction for contributions to another state's 529 plan, up to $4,000 per beneficiary on a joint return and $2,000 on others, inside the same overall cap. The condition is narrow: the other plan must belong to a state that gives its own taxpayers a deduction for Path2College contributions. Which states meet that test was not verified, so this site treats Georgia as an in-state-only deduction. The calculator above, and the figure of $0 it returns for a $5,000 deposit elsewhere, does not model this exception. If your plan's state may qualify, ask the Georgia Department of Revenue or the plan before relying on it.
How Path2College reads the 2025 federal law
The plan description dated February 20, 2026 lists the expanded K-12 expenses (curriculum, books, online materials and more, up to $20,000 a year from 2026) and postsecondary credential costs as qualified for both federal and Georgia purposes. No separate Department of Revenue notice was found, so this rests on the state-run plan's own document. A Roth IRA rollover is listed by the plan as a qualified rollover, and Georgia is said to follow federal treatment in general, yet no Department of Revenue statement confirms it; the text read does not settle that case. More on the federal side is on the K-12 withdrawals page.
When the subtraction comes back
The part of a nonqualified or taxable withdrawal, or of a rollover to another state's 529, that comes from contributions you deducted is added to Georgia taxable income in the year it happens. Earnings of a nonqualified withdrawal are taxed as well. A single filer who subtracted $12,000 over three years and then moves the account out of Path2College would owe about $599 in Georgia tax on that add-back alone.
Georgia add-back on an outbound rollover
Georgia tax if the deductions come back
$599
| Amount added back | $12,000 |
| Your state marginal rate | 4.99 % |
Accounts for one beneficiary stop taking contributions at $550,000, the maximum in the same plan description.