Kokua Line: Which Oahu satellite city halls have walk-in counters?
Question: Why doesn’t the Hawaii Kai Satellite City Hall have a walk-in window like Pearlridge?
Answer: It does, as of Thursday. Now all of Oahu’s satellite city halls have Express Window service during regular business hours, offering certain, limited transactions with no appointment necessary, said Harold Nedd, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Customer Services.
Here’s some of what you can do at a walk-in express window, according to the department:
>> Renew your registration for a motor vehicle, trailer, motorcycle or moped already registered in Honolulu County
>> Replace your license plates or emblem
>> Apply for a disability parking permit
>> Pay your Board of Water Supply bill
>> Pay your Honolulu County property tax bill
>> Buy TheBus monthly pass (but not a HOLO card; for that, you’ll need an appointment)
>> Buy a spay/neuter certificate
>> Drop off or pick up forms
To be clear, the express windows do not handle driver’s license or state ID issuance or renewal. Nor do they handle vehicle title transfers or out-of-county vehicle transfers.
For more details, see honolulu.gov/csd and click on the link to “COVID-19 Service Alerts.”
Q: My son has a long Hawaiian middle name (19 letters). His full name on his birth certificate fits. However, on his Social Security card, his middle name is cut off by four letters. I was told that there really isn’t anything they could do because that’s the allotted number of characters allowed. Is this going to create a problem when he applies for a Real ID, since his name on his birth certificate is not exactly the same as on his Social Security card? He is planning to get a learner’s permit, so I need to get this explained/cleared up as soon as possible. I know he’s not the only person with a long Hawaiian middle name, so I am hoping it has come up before and they can handle the discrepancy.
A: This shouldn’t be a problem for your son or for others in the same situation, whether they are applying for a REAL ID- compliant Hawaii learner’s permit, driver’s license or state ID, said Harold Nedd, a spokesman for Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services.
“Driver licensing centers in the City and County of Honolulu determine whether a customer meets the Real ID requirement for proof of legal presence by making sure the first and last names on a birth certificate and Social Security card match,” he said, so a truncated middle name won’t be an issue.
Q: The partial exclusion for unemployment benefits from federal income taxes is confusing for those of us who do our own taxes. Where are the instructions?
A: One mistake we’re hearing about is from individuals who subtracted only $10,200 to figure out whether they were eligible for the exclusion. That’s the amount of unemployment compensation that can be excluded from federal income taxes per person, not the amount that should be subtracted to determine eligibility. To determine eligibility, taxpayers should subtract all the unemployment compensation they received in 2020; if their modified adjusted gross income is below $150,000, they’re eligible for the exclusion. Read the IRS instructions at 808ne.ws/exirs.
Mahalo
I would like to thank the very kind gentleman who discovered a personal check of mine that had been accidentally dropped. He not only kept it safely for me, but he also took the time to call me and then even delivered it to me! I was so rattled by the experience of losing the check that I failed to get his name. His thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated. — Grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
