A year after thousands of Missouri residents endured lengthy waits for their income tax refunds, state officials say they are on track to have nearly all refunds paid out within the next four weeks.
According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, which processes state tax returns, the only unpaid returns will be those that may have been flagged for various reasons.
“We anticipate all refund returns that do not require a manual review will be paid by June 30,” said Revenue spokeswoman Michelle Gleba.
That doesn’t guarantee all Missourians will receive their checks in a timely manner.
According to State Auditor Nicole Galloway, who is conducting an audit of the department, more than 400 people have contacted her office because they haven’t received their income tax refund within a 45-day window.
Under state law, the department must pay interest to the recipients if their refunds aren’t processed within 45 days. Last year, former Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the agency to use overtime or hire temporary workers to hasten the processing of tax returns when the wait for checks hit the 10-week mark. Part of the delay was blamed on the agency’s attempt to ensure against fraudulent returns.
The delays resulted in the state paying out $294,837 in late fees to nearly 84,000 people. That amount was nearly five times what was projected based on 2015 numbers.
It was not clear last week how much money the state may have to pay out in late fees this year. Saturday marks 45 days since tax returns were due, meaning anyone who filed by the April 18 deadline and has not yet received their refund check could qualify for the interest payments.
The total amount of money refunded so far this year is $572.4 million. During the same time period last year – January through May – the figure topped $598 million.
Audit results from Galloway are expected to be released later this year.