Transfer tax: on the deed, $1 per $1,000
Georgia rule. The transfer tax is $1.00 on the first $1,000 of consideration plus $0.10 for each additional $100 or fraction — effectively $1.00 per $1,000, or 0.1% of price. It is paid on the warranty deed and is customarily the seller's cost. A $550,000 sale: $550,000 ÷ 1,000 = $550.00. Applying the $1.50-per-$500 intangible rate to a deed gives $1,650.00 and is a different tax entirely.
The fractional $100 rounds up
Worked example: $412,550 price. Above the first $1,000 there is $411,550, which is 4,115.5 hundreds; a fractional $100 counts as a whole unit, so 4,116 × $0.10 = $411.60, plus $1.00 on the first $1,000 = $412.60. A flat 0.1% gives $412.55 and ignores the statutory rounding; rounding the consideration to the next full $1,000 instead of the next $100 gives $413.60.
Subtract an assumed lien first
The tax base excludes the value of any lien existing before the sale and not removed by the sale. On the same $412,550 price with a $100,000 loan assumed, the taxable consideration is $312,550. Then $311,550 is 3,115.5 hundreds, rounded up to 3,116 × $0.10 = $311.60, plus $1.00 = $312.60. Taxing the full price gives $412.60.
Intangible recording tax: on the security deed, $1.50 per $500
Georgia rule. The intangible recording tax is $1.50 for each $500 or fraction of the face amount of a long-term note — 0.3% of the loan — and is customarily the borrower's cost. A $525,250 loan: $525,250 ÷ $500 = 1,050.5, rounded up to 1,051 units × $1.50 = $1,576.50. A flat 0.3% gives $1,575.75 and skips the rounding up; $1.50 per $1,000 gives $787.50.
The $25,000 cap
The statute caps the intangible tax at $25,000 per note. On a $9,000,000 loan the raw computation is $9,000,000 ÷ $500 = 18,000 units × $1.50 = $27,000, but only $25,000 is due. Reporting the uncapped $27,000 is the classic error.