Question: Who do we contact if we still haven’t received the $300 state tax rebate? I filed my state income taxes electronically in mid-March (and have been filing them electronically for years), but have not received any rebate. My daughter, who filed her taxes electronically just before the state tax deadline, received her rebate last week.
Answer: In a follow-up email, you confirmed that although you had e-filed your 2021 Hawaii income tax return, you had not received a refund on that return by electronic direct deposit, which is required to receive the separate Act 115 rebate by direct deposit, according to the state Department of Taxation. Therefore, you should expect your Act 115 rebate by paper check through the regular mail. Checks are taking much longer to deliver than direct deposits.
We’ve received similar questions from numerous other readers, so we’ll recap the payment methods for the Act 115 rebate, which is being paid to eligible Hawaii residents who file a 2021 state income tax return by the end of this year. The Act 115 rebate is separate from a regular income tax refund.
>> Who gets an electronic direct deposit?: Those who received a 2021 tax year refund by electronic direct deposit will receive the Act 115 rebate by the same method, to the same account, according to DOTAX. About 303,000 direct deposits were scheduled as of Sept. 6, according to the governor’s office, and 281,861 of them had been issued as of Sept. 20, according to DOTAX.
>> Who gets a paper check?: All other eligible taxpayers, including those who had filed their 2021 Hawaii income tax return electronically but did not receive a refund, or who were due a refund but chose to receive it by paper check, or who were due a refund but chose to apply it to their 2022 taxes. This group also includes people who had filed electronically and received a refund by direct deposit, but have since closed the bank account, as well as people who submitted their 2021 tax return on paper. About 295,000 paper checks were scheduled as of Sept. 6, according to the governor’s office, and 4,749 had been issued as of Sept. 20, according to DOTAX. Because of the paper shortage, paper checks may not be delivered until the end of October, DOTAX has said.
Given the number of paper checks outstanding, it’s too early for most people to follow up. “The department requests that taxpayers be patient through the month of October. Although the majority of the refunds received by direct deposit have been completed, there may be some that deposit late or may be rejected. As soon as the check stock is received, paper refunds will be released at the rate of 90,000 per week,” Nicki Ann Thompson, taxation services administrator, said in an email Friday.
Those who simply can’t wait are asked to contact DOTAX by email if possible, at tax.refunds@hawaii.gov.
Q: My identity was stolen. Among other things, they tried to file tax returns in my name to steal refundable tax credits. This was in 2020. I reported it at the time and thought it was resolved. But now I haven’t gotten my rebate, even though I e-filed in 2022 (for the 2021 tax year) and got an e-refund. I tried calling DOTAX but it was busy.
A: We’ve asked the department for details about the delivery of tax rebates for victims of identity theft, but did not receive a response by deadline. We’ll follow up. Overall, DOTAX reports receiving nearly 50 calls a day about the rebates — including from taxpayers who should expect a paper check later — which is why email contact is encouraged.
Mahalo
Big mahalo to the Hawaii Bicycling League volunteer staff for finding and returning my iPhone at the Kailua Intermediate School aid station! It was an awesome 2022 HBL Honolulu Cen- tury Ride on Sunday! — Morris
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