Wait continues for income tax refunds

Thousands of Missourians wonder what happened to their state tax refunds. They still haven't gotten their checks yet from the Missouri Department of Revenue.

Missouri law requires that any personal income tax refund issued more than 45 days later than when the return was filed to be paid with interest. Taxpayers who try to check on their refunds experience long waits on the phone, only to get no satisfaction when someone answers, or generic online messages that their returns are being processed.

More than 1,000 complaints by agitated taxpayers have gone to State Auditor Nicole Galloway's office. Now her office is auditing the Department of Revenue to try to find what's causing the delay.

"Citizens work all year long, they pay their taxes, and they file they tax returns online. They expect to get their money back on time as well," Galloway said in an interview when she was in Springfield on Monday.

If you still haven't received your Missouri tax refund, you can call the Department of Revenue at (573) 751-3505, but expect to be on hold for awhile.

More than 1,000 Missourians from throughout the state have contacted State Auditor Nicole Galloway to report missing refunds and other concerns about their tax returns. In a letter issued today, Auditor Galloway is calling on the director of the Department of Revenue to take quick action and address taxpayers' complaints.

"Over the last six weeks, more than 1,000 Missourians have contacted my whistleblower hotline seeking information on the status of their tax refund. They report long wait times, disconnected calls, the inability to speak to a representative when seeking status information on their refunds, and receiving a refund after 45 days without receiving interest. Missourians are becoming understandably frustrated by the delay and I urge the Department of Revenue to take all necessary steps to complete refund processing as quickly as possible," Auditor Galloway said.

Missouri law requires that any personal income tax refunds issued after 45 days past filing be paid to taxpayers with interest. Refunds were due on June 2 to all taxpayers who filed income tax returns by the April 18 deadline.

Auditor Galloway is currently auditing the Department of Revenue. The audit includes a review of the processes used to ensure refunds are paid timely and with all appropriate interest. The audit will review the Department of Revenue's compliance and timeliness over the past two years.

Updated information on the amount refunded by the state is available online at auditor.mo.gov/statedailyspending.