The cap of 120 million dollars was reached on the first day of 2026 and all credits were allocated and approved at 48% of the amount requested.
Georgia’s QEE Tax Credit Program
The State of Georgia will give taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar Qualified Education Expense (QEE) Tax Credit when they donate to Pay it Forward Scholarships. Tax credits are available on a first come, first served basis.
Select the school where you would like to fund scholarships and the funds will be equally divided among all approved, eligible students who have a current and complete application on file with Pay it Forward Scholarships. When you donate, you will receive a dollar-for-dollar Georgia QEE Tax Credit.
Submit a 2027 Tax Credit Request
May 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026
Make Your Tax Dollars Count!
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$2,500 Individuals or Married, Filing Separate
$5,000 Married, Filing Joint
$25,000 per Small Business Owner, S-Corps, Partnerships, & LLCs
75% of Annual State Tax Liability for C-Corps, Trusts, Pass-throughs electing to pay tax at the entity level, and businesses that pay insurance premium tax
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$120 million Aggregate Annual Cap for Georgia taxpayers
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The Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit cap of $120 million was reached on January 2nd for calendar year 2026. All approved requests received approval at a pro-rated 48% of the amount requested.
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The Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit cap of $120 million was reached on January 2nd for calendar year 2025. All approved requests received approval at a pro-rated 53.3% of the amount requested.
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The Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit cap of $120 million was reached on Tuesday, January 2nd for calendar year 2024. All approved requests received approval at a pro-rated 63% of the amount requested.
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The Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit cap of $120 million was reached on Tuesday, January 3rd for calendar year 2023. All approved requests received approval at a pro-rated 78% of the amount requested.
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The cap of $100 million was met on April 27, 2022 according to the GA DOR.
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In 2015-2018, the $58 million in QEE Tax Credits were completely reserved on the first day of each year, and donors received pro-rated approvals. This tax credit is VERY popular with Georgia taxpayers!
In 2019, Georgia increased the QEE Tax Credit cap from $58 million to $100 million dollars per year.
In 2019, 2020, and even in 2021, we were expecting the tax credits to be completely reserved on the first business day of January, and donors to be approved for a pro-rated amount of the amount requested. However, we submitted all of our tax credit requests each of these years and our donors were approved for 100% of the tax credit amount requested, and tax credits remained available through December of each of these years.
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Beginning with 2023, the new aggregate annual cap for the QEE Tax Credit program has been increased to $120 million.
History of Aggregate Annual Cap:
$120 million - 2023 - current
$100 million - 2019-2022
$58 million - 2013-2018
$50 million - 2008-2013
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Form IT-QEE-TP1 (also known as an Approval Letter) - provided by the Georgia Department of Revenue via mail or available online through the Georgia Tax Center website.
Form IT-QEE-SSO1 - provided by Pay it Forward Scholarships to acknowledge your donation. It is recommended that you attach this document to your return if your tax filing software allows that.
Form IT-QEE-TP2 - to be completed by the taxpayer and transmitted with the electronically filed return. Online tax filing software typically will walk taxpayers through completing this form.
Frequently Asked Questions - By Donors
I got my approval letter. Now what?
You have 60 days from the date of your approval letter to decide the amount you’d like to donate and to submit that donation to Pay it Forward Scholarships.
How do I get a receipt to claim the tax credit?
PIFS sends Georgia Form IT-QEE-SSO1 to taxpayers by January 31st for the previous year’s donations. If donors need a copy prior to this time, just let us know.
What are the fees if I donate using a debit/credit card?
PIFS partners with PayPal for debit/credit card processing. PayPal offers the lowest fees in the industry at 1.99% of the total transaction + a $.49 per transaction fee.
New! In 2026, donors can choose to increase their donation to cover the PayPal processing fee!
Can I participate as both a donor and a parent?
Yes, taxpayers can request the GA QEE Tax Credit and apply for a Pay it Forward Scholarship for their child. (Two different forms) Donors designate the school they wish the funds to go toward but cannot designate a particular student.