If you’re expecting a tax refund check from the State of Missouri, it might take a little longer to get there this year.
Budget cuts are not dipping into tax refunds, but they are decreasing the number of people who process them.
Department of Revenue spokesman Ted Farnen says the department usually brings on about 300 temporary employees during tax season … this year, it’s making do with less than half that.
Farnen says the department will process a total of nearly 3 million tax returns by the filing deadline. Of those, more than half will come in between now and April 15.
He says those filing electronically will see their refund check sooner than those filing paper returns. On average it can take up to 17 business days to get a refund, but Farnen says for some people, it’s been even longer.
About 60 percent of Missourians are filing electronically, up from around 57 percent last year.
Farnen says the department made it a priority to issue refund checks quickly to those with a property tax credit, since those taxpayers comprise disabled, elderly and low-income individuals.
He stresses that refunds are coming, no doubt about that, they’re just coming a little later than usual this year.