New Electronic Filing Requirements in Georgia

On Sept. 4, 2012, the Georgia Department of Revenue Alcohol and Tobacco Division introduced an electronic filing and licensing system. All alcohol licensees are now required to renew their license, register brands, file reports and pay excise taxes through the Georgia Tax Center (GTC), located on the Department of Revenue’s website. In order to set up a new GTC account, it is necessary for a winery to have its license/permit number, a valid email address, zip code and the amount of its last process payment. If a winery already has a GTC account, it will need to login to its existing account and select the “Add Access to Another Account” option and enter one of the following items: FEIN, License ID (social security or state tax identification number) or Letter ID.

The transition to an online filing system does not change the tax or reporting requirements for Special Order Wine Shippers. Excise tax returns continue to be due no later than the 15th day of the following month for which the report is being filed. Alcohol licenses issued by the state of Georgia are valid for one calendar year. Current alcohol licensees should submit their license renewal requests through the GTC by November 1, 2012 to ensure that they receive their renewal certificate by January 1, 2013. Paper tax returns and license renewal requests will not be accepted. The Department of Revenue has posted templates for excise tax returns and instructional videos explaining how to submit tax reports and renew licenses through the GTC online on their website. More information about the electronic filing and registration system is available here.