Georgia Superior Court judges make $201,060 per year in state salary as of January 1, 2026. Judges who sit in a circuit running a drug court, mental health court, or veterans court receive an additional $6,000 accountability court supplement. On top of that, they participate in a dedicated judicial pension system and receive the same health insurance and paid leave available to other state employees.
The 2025-2026 Pay Change
The current figure reflects a major restructuring that took effect in mid-2025. For years, the state-paid base salary sat at $126,265, and each county added its own supplement to bring total pay closer to a livable figure for the circuit. Those supplements varied widely. A Judicial Council report put the average county supplement at about $40,163, with a gap of roughly $68,200 between the highest- and lowest-paid Superior Court judges statewide.1Judicial Council of Georgia. Ad Hoc Committee on Judicial Salaries and Supplements Final Report Two judges with the same caseload could earn tens of thousands of dollars apart based only on where they sat.
HB 85, passed in 2025, ended county salary supplements for Superior Court judges effective July 1, 2025. To replace that lost local pay, the General Assembly raised the state salary in two steps through the FY2026 appropriations act:
- Effective July 1, 2025: $144,790
- Effective January 1, 2026: $201,060
The result is a uniform statewide salary.2Association County Commissioners of Georgia. Computing County Official Salaries for 2026 Judges who previously served in high-supplement circuits like Augusta, where the supplement ran above $75,000, may see total compensation stay flat or drop slightly. Judges in circuits that paid little or no supplement see a substantial raise.
The Accountability Court Supplement
Every Superior Court judge in a circuit that operates a drug court, mental health court, or veterans court division receives an extra $6,000 per year, paid by the state through the Council of Superior Court Judges in equal monthly installments.3Justia. Georgia Code 15-6-29.1 – Accountability Court Supplement The supplement goes to every judge in the circuit once any one of those specialty courts is running, not just the judge handling that particular docket.
This $6,000 does not count toward the salary figure that other local officials use when their own pay is calculated as a percentage of a Superior Court judge’s compensation. It stays walled off from those cascading formulas.
Pension Through the Judicial Retirement System
Superior Court judges belong to the Georgia Judicial Retirement System (JRS), a defined-benefit plan established in 1998 that also covers district attorneys, State Court judges, solicitors-general, Juvenile Court judges, and statewide Business Court judges.4Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia. JRS Handbook Both the judge and the employer contribute.
A judge vests after 10 years of creditable service. Once vested, the pension is locked in even if the judge leaves the bench before retirement age. Regular retirement begins at age 60 with at least 10 years of service. A judge who leaves before vesting can get a refund of employee contributions but forfeits the employer-funded portion.5Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia. Georgia Judicial Retirement System Benefits at a Glance
The benefit formula is generous. A judge who retires with 16 or more years of service receives 66.66% of salary as the base pension. For each additional year between 16 and 24, another 1% of salary is added, so a judge with 24 or more years on the bench draws 74.66% of salary.4Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia. JRS Handbook Judges who retire before hitting 16 years get a reduced benefit: 66.66% of salary multiplied by their years of service divided by 16. For a judge retiring with 12 years, that works out to about 50% of salary.
Health Insurance and Leave
Superior Court judges get the same State Health Benefit Plan options offered to other state employees, covering medical, dental, and vision, with individual and family tiers. They also earn annual and sick leave consistent with other state-funded judicial positions.
Taxes on Pay and Pension
Salary, the accountability court supplement, and JRS pension distributions are all subject to federal income tax. Pension payments follow the standard rules for qualified employer retirement plans, so distributions are generally fully taxable unless the judge made after-tax contributions, in which case the return of those contributions is excluded.6Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 410, Pensions and Annuities A judge who begins drawing the pension before age 59½ faces an additional 10% early distribution tax unless an exception applies, such as taking substantially equal periodic payments after separation from service.
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed in January 2025, permanently repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. Judges drawing both a JRS pension and Social Security no longer see their Social Security benefits reduced by those rules.7Social Security Administration. Social Security Fairness Act – Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset Update
How the Salary Gets Set
Two statutes work together. O.C.G.A. 45-7-4 sets the statutory base salary, and O.C.G.A. 15-6-29 directs that the salary be paid in 12 equal monthly installments through the Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia.8Justia. Georgia Code 15-6-29 – Salary of Judges The actual dollar amount is controlled through the annual appropriations process, so the General Assembly can change the figure each fiscal year without amending the underlying statute. That also means judicial pay does not adjust automatically for inflation. It moves only when the legislature acts.