Georgia’s pause on its gas tax now has a longer runway. Gov. Brian Kemp’s office announced on Oct. 6 that the state of emergency behind the suspension, and the suspension itself, will run through Nov. 5. The first order had set Oct. 29 as the last day, so the extension adds a week.
What the first order did
Kemp’s Sept. 28 order took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 29. It suspended Georgia’s motor fuel excise tax, which stood at 33.3 cents a gallon on gasoline and 37.3 cents on diesel. The governor’s office tied the emergency to volatility in global energy markets.
When the order was announced, the state’s average price for regular was $4.19 a gallon and diesel was $6.24. A driver who pumps 15 gallons of regular was paying about $5 a fill-up in state tax before the pause, using the 33.3-cent rate, and a trucker taking 100 gallons of diesel was paying $37.30.
The price drop AAA recorded
The Oct. 6 release cites AAA for the early results. A week after the suspension began, regular gasoline in Georgia had fallen by roughly 33 cents a gallon, and diesel had dropped by more than 42 cents. The gasoline figure lines up closely with the 33.3-cent tax that was removed. The diesel drop of more than 42 cents is bigger than the 37.3-cent diesel tax, so part of it came from other price movement.
The release also says Georgia’s regular average is 51 cents below the national average. AAA’s national figure was $4.3718 on Oct. 9, and AAA’s state pages carry the Georgia price for any given day.
Anyone who drives every day in Georgia, whether to a job or to dialysis and the pharmacy, wants to know one thing: how long the lower tax will hold. As of Oct. 9, the answer in the governor’s own words is through Nov. 5, and no further extension has been announced.
Georgia’s gas tax break is set to end on Nov. 5, and a 15-gallon tank saves about $5 in tax until then. The Benefits Checklist covers 11 benefit programs and the 2026 income limits for help with bills that keep running after the pump price settles.
Look up the 11 benefit programs and 2026 income limits in The Benefits Checklist →
Dyed diesel and the farm relief
The Oct. 6 order does more than lengthen the calendar. It also waives state penalties for selling, delivering or using dyed fuel oil in on-road vehicles for the length of the emergency. Dyed diesel is the fuel sold for farm equipment and other off-road use.
Kemp framed the step as help for people carrying the heaviest load. “With our farmers and truckers under heavy pressure, we’re leaving no stone unturned when it comes to giving them relief,” he said. The original suspension also lifted state weight limits, according to the release, which refers to the earlier order by number, 09.28.26.01.
The waiver covers state penalties only. The release does not mention any change to federal rules on dyed fuel, so a farmer or hauler who is unsure how the state waiver fits with federal requirements has to ask before putting dyed diesel in a road vehicle.
What the dates mean on the calendar
The suspension began Sept. 29, ran as first ordered through Oct. 29 and now stretches to Nov. 5. That is 38 days in all, counting both ends. A driver who buys 15 gallons of regular once a week skips about $5 in state tax at each of five or six fill-ups, or roughly $25 to $30 across the whole stretch.
Because the break is an emergency order and not a law with a fixed term, its end date can move again. The governor has moved it once already, and the state has not said whether it will do so a second time.
Planning fuel spending to Nov. 5 and after
Georgia drivers can watch the daily state average on AAA’s gas prices site and compare it with the $4.19 price listed when the suspension was announced. The state tax is zero through Nov. 5, so any rise in that average before then comes from other costs.
A simple budget helps with the day the tax returns. Using the old rates, regular gasoline would add back 33.3 cents a gallon, which is about $5 on 15 gallons, and diesel would add back 37.3 cents. Keeping that number in the monthly plan means a jump at the pump in November does not come as a surprise.
The governor’s press page, where both releases were posted, is the place any further extension would be announced.
Nov. 5 ends the tax pause, not the bills
When Georgia’s 33.3-cent gas tax comes back, drivers on fixed incomes absorb it with everything else, from groceries to a heating bill. The Benefits Checklist walks through 11 benefit programs and the 2026 income limits for each, so help that must be applied for does not get missed. It also includes a 50-state phone directory and a printable tracker.
Open The Benefits Checklist before the Nov. 5 tax return →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
