Georgia Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping and Payroll for Metro Atlanta Businesses
We prepare Georgia returns, run payroll, and handle bookkeeping for metro Atlanta businesses and individuals — and the entire engagement runs remotely, from the first document to the filed return.
How Georgia Taxes Individuals and Business Owners
Georgia taxes residents on all of their income, regardless of where that income was earned. Nonresidents owe Georgia tax on income sourced to Georgia. The state moved to a single flat rate that replaced the old graduated bracket structure, and that rate steps down on a schedule under current law — which means the rate in effect when you file may not be the rate that applied when you earned the income. We do not publish a figure here because the schedule has been amended more than once and a stated percentage would be wrong within months.
The individual return is Form 500. Anyone who moved into or out of Georgia during the year, or who earned income in Georgia while living elsewhere, files with the part-year or nonresident schedule attached. That schedule is where the sourcing questions get answered, and getting it wrong is how people end up owing more than they should or missing a refund they earned. Owners who take distributions rather than a paycheck run on a separate estimated payment calendar — quarterly installments due to the state on dates that do not always line up with the federal schedule.
Georgia Payroll: Two Agencies, Two Filings, Two Calendars
A Georgia employer registers with the Department of Revenue, withholds Georgia income tax from employee wages, and files the G-7 withholding return on a schedule determined by the business's payment frequency — monthly, quarterly, or accelerated depending on how much is withheld. At year end, the business reconciles everything on the G-1003, which is filed alongside the W-2s. The G-7 and the G-1003 are separate filings with separate deadlines, and missing either one generates a notice.
Georgia Withholding — The G-7 and the G-1003
A Georgia employer registers with the Department of Revenue, withholds Georgia income tax from employee wages, and files the G-7 withholding return on a schedule determined by the business's payment frequency — monthly, quarterly, or accelerated depending on how much is withheld. At year end, the business reconciles everything on the G-1003, which is filed alongside the W-2s. The G-7 and the G-1003 are separate filings with separate deadlines, and missing either one generates a notice.
Unemployment Insurance — The DOL-4N and the Georgia Department of Labor
Unemployment insurance is a separate obligation entirely, and it goes to a different agency. Georgia employers file the DOL-4N quarterly with the Georgia Department of Labor, reporting wages and paying the unemployment tax on the first $9,500 of each employee's wages for the year. That return is due at the end of the month following the close of each quarter. Two agencies, two filing calendars, and they do not coordinate with each other. We run both sides so nothing falls between them.
Georgia Sales Tax Across Metro Atlanta Counties
The Georgia sales tax return is the ST-3, due by the 20th of the month following the reporting period. We do not publish a rate table here because local option rates change and a table becomes wrong faster than it can be updated. What we can do is identify the rates that apply to your specific business locations and transaction types, set up the filing correctly, and keep it current when rates change.
Sales Tax Details
How the Rate Is Determined
Georgia's state sales tax rate is 4 percent. Every county and many cities layer local-option taxes on top of that, and the combined rate differs across the metro area. The rate that applies to a sale is the one in effect where the item is delivered — not where the seller is located. A business selling across Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Cherokee, Forsyth and Henry is charging more than one combined rate, and the return reports by jurisdiction rather than as a single statewide figure.
Filing the ST-3
The Georgia sales tax return is the ST-3, due by the 20th of the month following the reporting period. We do not publish a rate table here because local option rates change and a table becomes wrong faster than it can be updated. What we can do is identify the rates that apply to your specific business locations and transaction types, set up the filing correctly, and keep it current when rates change.
The Pass-Through Entity Election
Georgia allows S corporations and partnerships to elect to pay Georgia income tax at the entity level rather than passing the liability through to the owners' individual returns. Whether that election makes sense depends on the owner's federal position and the structure of the business, so we approach it as something worth examining rather than a default recommendation. We also flag the Georgia annual registration due to the Secretary of State by April 1 each year — it is a state business filing, not a tax return, and it is one of the dates owners most commonly miss.
Living in One State, Working in the Other
Georgia Resident, Florida Income
Georgia taxes residents on all of their income. A Georgia resident who earns income in Florida reports that income on the Georgia return. Because Florida imposes no personal income tax, there is no other-state credit to offset the Georgia liability — which surprises people who assumed that working in Florida meant paying less overall. The domicile question decides the whole calculation, and domicile is not determined by where the mail goes or where the office is.
Florida Resident, Georgia Income
A Florida resident who earns wages or business income in Georgia owes Georgia tax on that Georgia-source income and files a Georgia nonresident return. Georgia does not have a reciprocity agreement that would exempt a Florida resident from Georgia withholding. Where a person is actually domiciled — not just where they keep a mailing address — is what drives the analysis. We work that out before we work out what is owed.
For clients earning income across both states, we handle both returns together. More detail on how multi-state situations are prepared is on the multi-state tax filing page.
How the Remote Engagement Works for Atlanta Clients
Metro Atlanta clients are handled end to end without a drive. Documents come in through a secure client portal. Questions happen by phone or video, on a schedule that fits the client's week rather than a weekday appointment window. Before anything is filed, we walk through the return together so the numbers make sense and nothing is a surprise. Signatures are electronic. The return is filed. That is the full sequence, and it runs the same way for every client we work with remotely.
We name it plainly because the missing street address raises a reasonable question. This is not a workaround — it is how the work is done. Clients in Marietta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Decatur and Lawrenceville work with us this way, and the engagement is the same as it would be for a client sitting across a desk. More on how the remote process is set up is on the virtual tax preparation page.
Services for Metro Atlanta Businesses and Individuals
Georgia payroll means managing both the withholding side and the unemployment side — two agencies, two filing calendars, and two sets of deadlines. We run payroll for metro Atlanta businesses, file the G-7 and the G-1003 with the Department of Revenue, and handle the quarterly DOL-4N with the Georgia Department of Labor. Contractors with crews working across county lines have additional layering to manage, and that is work we know well.
Our Service Offerings
Tax Preparation and Planning
We prepare individual and business returns for metro Atlanta clients, including Georgia Form 500, business entity returns, and returns for owners taking distributions who owe estimated payments. Planning work looks at the Georgia filing alongside the federal return — the two interact, and decisions made on one affect the other. Construction contractors, retailers, and professional service firms are the businesses we work with most.
Bookkeeping and Outsourced Accounting
Books closed monthly rather than reconstructed at year end. We handle the transaction coding, reconciliations, and reporting so the financial picture is current when you need it — not assembled in a rush before the return is due. Atlanta-area business owners who want clean books without hiring an in-house bookkeeper work with us on an ongoing basis.
Payroll Services
Georgia payroll means managing both the withholding side and the unemployment side — two agencies, two filing calendars, and two sets of deadlines. We run payroll for metro Atlanta businesses, file the G-7 and the G-1003 with the Department of Revenue, and handle the quarterly DOL-4N with the Georgia Department of Labor. Contractors with crews working across county lines have additional layering to manage, and that is work we know well.
Construction Trades
Roofing, painting, framing, concrete and remodeling contractors make up a significant share of the businesses we work with. The issues that come up in the trades — job costing, project profitability, crews working across county lines, sales tax on materials versus labor — require a different level of detail than a general small business return. Seventeen years of individual and business tax work, fifteen years in business, and roughly sixty years of combined experience across the office sit behind the work we do in this industry.
How We Help with Georgia Taxes & Bookkeeping
We prepare Georgia returns, run payroll, handle bookkeeping, and work through IRS notices for metro Atlanta businesses and individuals. The engagement runs fully remotely — documents in through the portal, questions by phone or video, return reviewed together before it is filed. Se habla español.
Questions Metro Atlanta Clients Ask
Can you prepare my Georgia return if we never meet in person?
Yes. Documents come in through a secure portal, we go through questions by phone or video, and we walk through the return with you before it is filed. Every Atlanta client we work with is handled this way. The process is the same as it would be in a face-to-face meeting — it just does not require one.What does a Georgia employer file, and how often?
A Georgia employer files on two separate tracks. The G-7 withholding return goes to the Department of Revenue on a schedule set by the business's payment frequency. The G-1003 reconciles the year alongside the W-2s. Separately, the DOL-4N goes to the Georgia Department of Labor each quarter, covering unemployment insurance on the first $9,500 of each employee's wages. Two agencies, two calendars — they do not coordinate.I live in Georgia and most of my income comes from Florida. Why is my Georgia bill so high?
Georgia taxes residents on all of their income, wherever it was earned. Because Florida has no personal income tax, there is no other-state credit to bring back against the Georgia return. The income you earned in Florida still shows up on the Georgia return in full, which is why the bill can be higher than people expect.I live in Florida and work in Atlanta. Do I owe Georgia tax?
Georgia taxes nonresidents on income sourced to Georgia. A Florida resident earning wages or business income in Georgia files a Georgia nonresident return on that income. Georgia does not have a reciprocity agreement that would exempt a Florida resident from Georgia withholding. Where you are actually domiciled — not just where you receive mail — is what determines the full picture.Why is the sales tax rate different in different parts of metro Atlanta?
Georgia's base state rate is 4 percent, but every county and many cities add local-option taxes on top. The rate that applies to a sale is the one in effect where the item is delivered, not where the seller is located. A business selling across Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and other metro counties is dealing with more than one combined rate, and the ST-3 return reports by jurisdiction.
Questions about your Georgia return, your payroll filings, or how to get started? Call us at (850) 391-7659 or use the contact form and we will be in touch. The first conversation costs nothing.
