Last year one of my post popular posts was about the state of Alabama’s delay (and then final getting my refund after two months) in getting tax refunds to its citizens.
I’m hoping today’s post isn’t one of the most popular of my posts in 2010. I’d much rather everyone get their tax refunds back in a timely manner.
Yet I filed my taxes on February 18, 2010. My federal and state returns were accepted.
…I’m still waiting.
When Will Alabama Send Tax Refunds?
Last year I had to wait two months to get my return back. I think I was one of the lucky ones. There were several people who left comments on the posts last year saying they had been waiting much longer and still hadn’t received anything.
There is really no telling when Alabama will send out refunds. My federal return was accepted and the system said to allow 5 to 6 weeks to get your refund back. When your state return is accepted you don’t get any kind of target date at all.
That’s comforting.
Tax Refunds and Education Fund
Here’s the main issue with Alabama’s tax refunds. When you check your refund status (more on how to do that below) this is the message you receive:
Refunds are issued from the Education Trust Fund as fund balances allow. Thank you for your patience and please be assured the ADOR is doing everything possible to expedite your refund’s approval and issuance.
So the tax dollars go into the big pool. The education system uses the same pool, so they get first “dibs” on the money to make sure the education system doesn’t shut down.
Your ability to be refunded depends on the flow of taxes coming in across the state. When there is enough money to pay out refunds they get paid out. If there isn’t enough money no refunds get paid out.
Check Your Alabama Tax Refund Status
You can check your Alabama state tax refund status at the Department of Revenue website.
To check your status you will need:
- Your social security number
- Which tax form you used and whether you sent the return in via mail or electronically
- Your filing status (single, married filing joint, etc.)
- Your refund amount
Are You Waiting on Your Alabama Refund?
I’d like to start gathering comments from other Alabama residents that are waiting on their refunds.
How long have you been waiting? Leave a comment, and we’ll all hope that we all get our refunds faster than last year.
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Did mine on Feb 18 and the website still says it hasnt received it yet.
Its the 15th anyone still waiting for their refund? Are they suppose to pay us intrest after tomorrow?
They are (or claimed so when I spoke spoke to them in June) supposed to start paying interest as of July 16, 2010. The whopping rate was 4%, but the rate will change each quarter.
You can also start to get your net refund for this year by changing your current deductions since the refund is from overpaid taxes anyway.The same goes for reducing the any possible tax payment for next year. Worst case scenario, you’ll owe taxes you can pay on April 15, 2011.
Hope you get Your money soon.
When am I going to get my state refund, I had my taxes done in March?
I have been waiting on my refund for exactly 100 days today!! I know the education fund is empty I have two children in school. The $1471 they owe me would sure help with school registration fees, (between the two I paid $395 this week) and supplies, and uniforms. I wil have less withheld from my wages this year. No more letting them use my money interst free.
It is now August 8 and I have yet to receive my return from AL state. We filed in early Feb. and nothing. Is there anyone out there that still has not received theirs? Does anyone know what the interest rate is on late returns? I would like to have that info handy when the time comes.
Ed…I filed on 4/15 and haven’t received mine yet. I emailed them (they’re actually very quick about answering) this week and was told they didn’t know when mine would go out or when anymore would be going out yet. The last I heard the interest rate was 4% but I’m not sure about that.
I filed my taxes in January. It’s August and STILL no refund. The site to check the status says the same thing it said in January. I’ll be receiving my refund in 8-12 weeks. HA! What a load of crap. If I had known how screwed up this state is, I would never have moved here!!!
I got a good one for you – I filed in March, and still haven’t received my refund. But on top of that, the State swears on a stack of regulation books that they already deposited it into my account back in June. I have pestered them enough that they are offering to put a trace on it with the bank, but they said it could take several weeks. Not sure how that is – I can trace a wire at my bank and get answers in a day or two.
I filed electronically in January with Turbo Tax, and as of today, 19 August, nothing.
Make sure you call in. I wish I still had the number on hand so I can post it. They sent mine out on May 25th to the WRONG ADDRESS. I looked back at our files and it had the correct address listed but they still sent it to the wrong one. It has been sitting in Montgomery since JUNE.
We filed in April… still no refund. I called and was told that our refund had been approved, but we’re still waiting for our money. This is so frustrating, because they can not give you a date, etc.
I’m still waiting also, but what really ticked me off this morning, was when I heard that they just used $3 million of the education trust fund for campaign fees. Excuse me? Didn’t they ask me on my return if I wanted to donate to a campaign fee and I said “NO”!
We filed our income taxes electronically at the end of February 2010 and still have not received our estimated refund of $1,000!! We have been checking with them, and they finally said via e-mail that said “At this time refunds are not being issued due to a shortage of funds. We
cannot give a date when refunds will be issued.”
Nice, huh?!!
I had my taxes done in March but I sent them out on April 13. Still no refund. I really hate this state.
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