Short answer: Yes, Evans and Columbia County, GA work well for many retirees. Georgia doesn't tax Social Security, and in 2026 each person 65 or older can exclude up to $65,000 of other retirement income from state income tax. Once you turn 70, Columbia County drops the school tax on your home. That's usually the biggest piece of the property tax bill. Add the county's first hospital, which opened in Grovetown in August 2026, plus lake and golf living, and a county median home value below the national figure.
You worked hard for this. Thirty or forty years of alarms, commutes and someone else's calendar.
Now you get to choose. Where do you want to wake up?
Maybe you're a military family finishing a last tour at Fort Gordon. Maybe the grandkids live here. Maybe you're just tired of high taxes and long winters. Either way, you want a place where your money goes further and your days feel full.
The fear is real, too. Pick the wrong place and you're stuck with a tax bill you didn't plan for, a doctor an hour away, or stairs you can't climb at 80.
You're the hero of this story. We're the guide. The Fairey Team is based in Evans, with eXp Realty. We help people move to and around Columbia County every week, including military families. Here's the honest picture and a simple plan.
Why Retirees Choose Evans and Columbia County
Here's what tends to bring people here:
- Lower state taxes on retirement income. More on that below. For most retirees it's a big deal.
- A senior break on property taxes. At 70, the school tax on your home goes away.
- Health care close by. Columbia County finally has its own hospital.
- Room to play. Golf communities, Clarks Hill Lake, parks and a busy event calendar.
- Fort Gordon nearby. That matters if you're a military retiree.
Not sure the area fits? Read our honest answer to whether Evans and Columbia County is a good place to live.
Georgia Taxes for Retirees: The Big Picture
Taxes are where retirees here tend to save the most. Here are the rules from the Georgia Department of Revenue.
Social Security Isn't Taxed
Georgia doesn't tax Social Security. The Department of Revenue says the taxable part on your federal return is exempt from Georgia income tax. It's subtracted on your state return.
The Retirement Income Exclusion
Georgia lets older residents exclude a big chunk of retirement income:
- Age 62 to 64 (or permanently and totally disabled): up to $35,000 per person.
- Age 65 and older: up to $65,000 per person.
That covers pensions, annuities, interest, dividends, capital gains, net rental income and royalties. Up to $5,000 of it can be earned income from work. Married couples each qualify on their own. So two spouses 65 or older can exclude up to $130,000 between them, on top of Social Security.
It gets better. A 2026 law, HB 463, raises the 65-and-older exclusion to $70,000 starting with tax year 2027.
Military Retirement Pay
Retired under 62? Georgia lets you exclude up to $17,500 of military retirement income. You can exclude another $17,500 if you earned more than $17,500 in Georgia that year. Once you turn 62, the regular retirement exclusion above applies.
The Income Tax Rate
Whatever income is left gets taxed at a flat rate. For 2026, that rate is 4.99%, down from 5.19%. The standard deduction rose to $15,000 for single filers and $30,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Every situation is different. Run your numbers with a tax professional before you move. But for many retirees living on Social Security and a modest pension, Georgia income tax ends up small or zero.
Property Taxes: The Age-70 Break
Georgia taxes homes on 40% of their value. In Columbia County, the school tax is the biggest slice of the bill. For 2026 it's 14.997 mills out of 22.276 total for most homes outside city limits.
The Columbia County Tax Commissioner lists these senior breaks:
- Age 70 or older (L6): No Columbia County school taxes on your home and up to three acres around it. No income limit.
- Age 62 or older (L3): $40,000 off assessed value for county and school taxes, if both spouses' net income is $15,000 or less.
- 100% disabled veterans (S5): $126,526 off assessed value, with a letter from the VA.
What's that worth? Our Columbia County property tax guide estimates about $2,918 a year for a $350,000 home outside city limits with the regular homestead exemption. About $1,950 of that is school tax. At 70, the L6 exemption takes that part off. That leaves roughly $970 a year for county and fire taxes. It's an estimate, not a bill, but you get the idea.
Here's the catch. None of these are automatic. You have to apply with the Tax Commissioner, and the county asks for applications by April 1. Turning 70 next year? Put it on your calendar now. Our homestead exemption guide walks you through it.
Health Care Close to Home
For years, Columbia County residents drove out of the county for a hospital. That changed this year.
Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center welcomed its first patients on August 26, 2026. It's the county's first hospital. Wellstar says the six-story, 100-bed hospital at 5000 Gateway Blvd. in Grovetown covers emergency care, surgery, imaging, cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics and more. Wellstar said a medical office building next door, with 11 outpatient clinics, was expected to open this fall.
Veterans have the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center nearby. It's part of VA Augusta Health Care.
Military Retirees: Know the TRICARE Rules
This one trips people up. TRICARE says you have 90 days after your retirement date to enroll in a TRICARE plan if you want coverage with no break. At 65, TRICARE For Life requires Medicare Part A and Part B.
There's also a local wrinkle. WRDW reported in August 2026 that Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon has paused new TRICARE Plus enrollment since August 2025 because it's at capacity. Officials said many beneficiaries who get primary care on post will need an off-post primary care doctor once they turn 65. So line up a doctor before you need one.
What Homes Cost
Good news for anyone moving from a pricier market. In October 2026, Columbia County's median sold price was $334,000, with 840 active listings and about 3.85 months of inventory. The typical home that sold went under contract in a median of 44 days. That's from our October 2026 market report.
Prices vary a lot by town. Census survey data (2020–2024) shows a median home value of $305,300 for Columbia County, below the U.S. figure of $332,700. It's $366,100 in Evans and $246,100 in Martinez. Our cost of living guide breaks down the rest of the budget.
Selling a home somewhere else to fund the move? Start with a free home valuation so you know your equity before you shop.
Where Retirees Like to Live
There's no single "retirement neighborhood." It depends on how you want to spend your days.
- Golf every week: Bartram Trail is built around the 18-hole Bartram Trail Golf Club. Jones Creek centers on an 18-hole championship course. West Lake sits around West Lake Country Club.
- Life near the water: Clarks Hill Lake (also called Thurmond Lake) covers nearly 71,100 acres with about 1,200 miles of shoreline. Neighborhoods in north Evans and Appling sit closest. True waterfront is rare because the Army Corps of Engineers controls the shoreline. Prefer a river? River Island is Columbia County's first conservation community on the Savannah River. Read our Clarks Hill Lake access guide before you fall in love with a dock.
- Near Fort Gordon and the new hospital: Grovetown is the closest town to Fort Gordon, and the new hospital is there too. From Martinez, plan on about 15 to 20 minutes to the base. From Riverwood Plantation, about 25 to 35. See our Fort Gordon commute guide.
- Quiet and space: Appling is more rural, with bigger lots. Harlem is a small city. Check out living in Appling and living in Harlem.
- Walk to things: Evans puts you near Evans Towne Center Park, shops and restaurants. Read living in Evans.
Still choosing? Compare towns side by side in Evans, Martinez, Grovetown, Harlem or Appling: where should you live, or browse all of our neighborhood guides.
Staying Active and Connected
Retirement is better with people around you. Columbia County runs a Senior Center at 5913 Euchee Creek Dr. in Grovetown for residents 60 and older. The county lists free lunches every day, free rides to and from the center, and activities from crafts to Zumba. For ages 50 and up, the county's Experience Club hosts book clubs, hobby nights and trips.
Add Clarks Hill Lake, the parks and the concerts at Evans Towne Center Park, and there's plenty to do. See what's on this week in our things to do in Evans and Columbia County roundup.
Your 5-Step Retirement Move Plan
- Run your tax math. Add up Social Security, pensions and savings income. Then check Georgia's exclusion and a home's estimated property tax with a tax pro.
- Line up your health care. Pick doctors early. Military retirees, mind the 90-day TRICARE window and the Medicare rules at 65.
- Pick your lifestyle first, then the town. Golf, lake, grandkids or quiet? Let that point you to the right area.
- Buy a home that ages with you. Look for a main-floor bedroom, few steps at the entry and a yard you actually want to keep up.
- File your exemptions. Homestead first. Then add L6 at 70 or L3 at 62 if you qualify. File by April 1.
What's at Stake
Get this right and your retirement money stretches further. Get it wrong and it leaks out. You pay school taxes you didn't need to pay because nobody told you to file. You buy a two-story house you can't use at 80. You end up waiting on a primary care doctor you should have found a year ago.
Those are avoidable mistakes. That's why a plan beats a guess.
Picture This
It's a Tuesday morning in April. Your coffee's warm. You're on the porch, and your tee time is at ten. Your tax bill came in lower than you expected. Your doctor is fifteen minutes away. The grandkids are coming Saturday.
That's the goal. We'd love to help you get there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Evans, GA a good place to retire?
For many retirees, yes. Georgia doesn't tax Social Security, retirees 65 and older can exclude up to $65,000 each of other retirement income in 2026, and Columbia County drops school taxes on your home at age 70. The county's first hospital opened in Grovetown in August 2026. Golf, Clarks Hill Lake and a county Senior Center round it out.
Is Georgia tax-friendly for retirees?
Yes, for most retirees. Georgia doesn't tax Social Security. Each person age 62 to 64 can exclude up to $35,000 of retirement income, and each person 65 or older up to $65,000, rising to $70,000 in 2027. Income above that is taxed at a flat 4.99% for 2026.
Does Georgia tax Social Security benefits?
No. The Georgia Department of Revenue says taxable Social Security on your federal return is exempt from Georgia income tax. It's subtracted on Schedule 1 of Form 500, separate from the retirement income exclusion.
Does Georgia tax military retirement pay?
Partly. Military retirees under 62 can exclude up to $17,500 of military retirement income, plus another $17,500 if they earned more than $17,500 in Georgia that year. At 62 and older, the regular retirement income exclusion of $35,000, or $65,000 at 65 and older, applies instead.
At what age do you stop paying school taxes in Columbia County, GA?
At 70. Homeowners who are 70 or older by January 1 can apply for Columbia County's L6 senior school tax exemption. It covers the home and up to three acres, with no income limit. It isn't automatic, so apply with the Tax Commissioner by April 1.
Do seniors get a property tax break in Columbia County, GA?
Yes. Besides the age-70 school tax exemption, homeowners 62 and older with net household income of $15,000 or less can get $40,000 off assessed value for county and school taxes. 100% disabled veterans can get $126,526 off assessed value. All require an application.
Is there a hospital in Columbia County, GA?
Yes. Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center, the county's first hospital, opened to patients on August 26, 2026, at 5000 Gateway Blvd. in Grovetown. It has 100 beds and offers emergency care, surgery, imaging, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics and more.
How much does a home cost in Evans and Columbia County?
In October 2026, the median sold price in Columbia County was $334,000. Prices vary by town. Census estimates put the median home value at $366,100 in Evans and $246,100 in Martinez.
Let's Plan Your Retirement Move
Ready to see what retirement could look like here? Let's take a drive. We'll talk about your budget, your health care, your hobbies and the neighborhoods that fit them.
- Call: (706) 480-5203
- Email: [email protected]
- Visit: 2580 Evans Trade Center, Evans, GA 30809
- Next step: Explore neighborhoods · Military relocation help · Get your home value
Moving from out of state? Start with moving to Evans and Columbia County and our first 30 days checklist. Got more questions? Our real estate FAQ has answers.
Tax rules change, and this post isn't tax or legal advice. Confirm your numbers with a tax professional and the Columbia County Tax Commissioner.
Photo: "Rocking chairs on porch as staging for house for sale" by Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9 and resized.
