Tax Refunds in Illinois Will Not Be Issued Through March 1

There is some very sad news for Illinois taxpayers anticipating their refunds.

The state revenue department said it will take longer to process paperwork in order to prevent fraud and identity theft.

Consequently, the agency said it does not plan on issuing refund payments through March 1. After the that, electronically filed refunds are expected to be processed within two to three weeks from the date they were submitted. Returns filed on paper will take even longer.

The Illinois Department of Revenue said the measures will actually save taxpayers money.

“Fraud prevention measures implemented by the Department of Revenue during last year’s tax season resulted in an overall savings of nearly $5 million that would have, otherwise, been paid,” said Connie Beard, IDOR Director. “By delaying tax refunds by just a few weeks, we’ll be able to better detect attempts at identity theft and ensure taxpayer refunds do not fall needlessly into the hands of criminals.”

For the latest information on tax forms, schedules, and instruction, you can visit IDOR’s website at tax.illinois.gov.