O.C.G.A. 48-7-29 provides for a $5,000 tax credit for rural physicians. The tax credit may be claimed for not more than five years. There is no carryover or carryback available. The credit cannot exceed the taxpayers income tax liability. In order to qualify, the physician must meet the following qualifications:
- The physician must have started working in a rural county after July 1, 1995. If the physician worked in a rural county previously, there must be a period of at least three years before the physician returns to work in a rural county.
- The physician must practice and reside in a rural county. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2003, a physician qualifies for the credit if they practice in a rural county and reside in a county contiguous to a rural county. A rural county is defined as one with 65 or fewer persons per square mile according to the United States Decennial Census of 1990 or any future such census. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2002, the United States Decennial Census of 2000 is used.
- The physician must be licensed to practice medicine in Georgia, primarily admit patients to a rural hospital, and practice in the fields of family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, internal medicine, or general surgery. A rural hospital is defined as an acute-care hospital located in a rural county that contains 80 or fewer beds. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2003, a rural hospital is defined as an acute-care hospital located in a rural county that contains 100 or fewer beds.
For more information, see Regulation 560-7-8-.20, which is located on the Georgia Website.