Question: Are the Act 115 electronic direct deposits being made on schedule, or have there been delays? I didn’t get mine, even though I always file my taxes electronically and get my regular refunds by direct deposit.
Answer: They’re on schedule, with distributions having occurred on Sept. 2, 9 and 13, according to the state Department of Taxation. However, there generally is a lag time of five to seven business days from the time the money is released by the state until the deposit is received in a recipient’s financial account, the department said. So if your electronic transfer occurred on one of the later dates, you wouldn’t have gotten the money yet.
About 300,000 constitutional refunds have been released via direct deposit, the department said.
Another roughly 295,000 Hawaii residents are to receive their rebates by paper check in the regular mail, but that process will take much longer; taxpayers who filed their Hawaii tax return by July 31 should receive their Act 115 rebate check by the end of October. A shortage of check stock contributed to the delay; checks are being mailed in batches of 1,000 to 2,000 checks until more check stock arrives, at which point the run will increase to 90,000 checks per batch.
Act 115, signed into law by Gov. David Ige after the Legislature passed Senate Bill 514, provides a refund for resident taxpayers who file their 2021 individual Hawaii tax return by the end of this year, and their families. The refund amount is $100 or $300 per eligible person, depending on filing status and federal adjusted gross income. For example, a family of four earning less than $200,000 a year would receive $1,200, while a family that size earning more than $200,000 would receive $400.
Q: I’ve read and heard many stories about how people will get the state refund if they got a tax refund when they filed their taxes. But I haven’t seen anything about how the people that owed the state money when they filed their taxes will get this refund. Can you find out?
A: Hawaii taxpayers who owed additional taxes when they filed their 2021 Hawaii income tax return will receive the Act 115 rebate by paper check, according to the state Department of Taxation.
Q: I was expecting $300 but got less. Can they take money out for child support?
A: Yes. Act 115 refunds will not be used to offset taxes owed to the state of Hawaii, but will be used to offset taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service and for outstanding debts to external agencies, such as for child support, the department says.
Q: How do you get the state ID where you don’t have to bring in so much documentation? They passed the law but I can’t find anything about how to get the ID.
A: You are referring to a limited-purpose Hawaii identification card for people who are unable or unwilling to prove that they legally reside in the United States, which is a requirement for a federally compliant REAL ID. A state law authorizing such limited-purpose IDs issued by the state of Hawaii took effect in July, but they are not yet available. The state Department of Transportation must adopt administrative rules before the IDs can be issued by the counties, a process that usually takes six to 12 months, a DOT spokesperson said. When the draft rules are ready, they will posted on the DOT website with instructions about how to submit public testimony.
Mahalo
Please send a heartfelt mahalo to the young woman who was so kind to go out of her way by dropping off my mis-delivered FedEx package to my home on the evening of Sept. 13. I was totally surprised and I just want her to know how truly grateful I am. — Dawn
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
