If you’re an Atlanta resident waiting for your Georgia tax refund to hit your bank account, you might be waiting a while. As of January 15, 2026, a surge of “Audit Alarms” has been triggered across metro Atlanta, specifically targeting taxpayers with 1099-K or 1099-NEC income. What used to be a three-week turnaround for refunds has, for many, turned into a 12-week investigation. The culprit? A quiet shift in the Georgia Department of Revenue’s (DOR) fraud detection AI. For the 2026 filing season, the state is hyper-focused on the “Gig Economy Gap.” If you have a side hustle—Uber, Etsy, consulting, or even high-volume resale on Facebook Marketplace—the state is now cross-referencing your digital payments with your reported…..