Question: What ever happened to that $300 rebate? If we filed our taxes early, are we first in line?
Answer: Act 115 refunds will be processed “based on the order in which taxpayers filed their 2021 Form N-11,” with the first rebates expected to be issued the last week of August, Director of Taxation Issac Choy said in Tax Announcement 2022-03, issued June 27.
You are one of numerous readers asking about the rebates, which were signed into law by Gov. David Ige as Act 115. The law provides a refund for resident taxpayers who file their Hawaii 2021 individual tax return (Form N-11) by the end of this year. The amount is $100 or $300 per exemption, depending on the taxpayer’s federal adjusted gross income and filing status.
Here are answers to other readers’ questions, from Choy’s statement:
>> If you received a Hawaii refund by direct deposit for the 2021 tax year, your Act 115 refund will be deposited directly to the same bank account.
>> If you received a Hawaii refund by paper check or owed Hawaii personal income taxes for the 2021 tax year, you’ll receive your Act 115 refund by paper check. It will take three to four weeks longer to process paper checks than electronic deposits.
>> DOTAX can’t change the method by which Act 115 refunds are issued.
>> Taxpayers who filed their 2021 Form N-11 before July 1 and will receive the Act 115 refund electronically can expect the deposit by the end of September. Those who filed by that date but who will receive a paper check “may expect their refund to be issued by the end of October.”
Q: Regarding obtaining a Hawaii driver’s license, can I walk in for the road test without an appointment and hope for the best?
A: No, not on Oahu, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services. “Walk-in stand-by road (test) service is not offered. Next day Road Test Stand-by List opens online by 3 p.m. for the next business day at all road test locations. You must sign up and pay the road test fee online to get on a Next-day Road Test Stand-by List at the location of your choice,” it says at www8.honolulu.gov/csd/roadtest. Click on the “Make an Appointment” icon to try to get on the standby list for the next day or to make an appointment for a date further out.
Correction
The entry fee at Diamond Head State Monument is $5 per person for nonresidents over age 3. Sunday’s column stated the wrong amount.
Auwe
I’m disappointed with the lack of enforcement of vehicle safety checks. … I am seeing more and more that have been expired for two years. I assume that if these people don’t have updated safety checks, they also cannot get their vehicles registered or get insurance. When you add those up, it means they are probably saving at least $2,000 per year while honest people are paying the full amount. I know the police are busy with more important matters, but there must be some way to improve enforcement. — Jim
Mahalo
Huge mahalos to these two highway heroes: Chris, who was almost home after a long day of work July 5 at Senior Helpers, and James from RJ’s Towing. Chris spotted my friend and me on the side of Pali Highway after we had a flat tire. She passed us and circled back to see if she could help. We were having a difficult time finding a tow truck. Chris proceeded to help make calls for us and stayed with us to make sure we were safe until a tow came. James wasn’t able to come when I first called him, but he called back to see if we still needed help. We did! James came to our location, readied the car for towing and insisted on waiting with us until we could get a ride home. Both Chris and James went above and beyond to help two stranded wahine on the side of the Pali at the end of a long day. — Forever grateful, M and M
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.
