Senator Flanagan Working To Help Residents Get The Tax Refund They Deserve

After joining with his colleagues and Governor Andrew Cuomo over the last year to deliver tax relief to residents, Senator John Flanagan (2nd Senate District) is working to make getting that tax relief easier and quicker for all New York residents in two ways.

First, to help residents who are expecting a state or federal income tax refund figure out when they can expect their money, Senator Flanagan is making them aware that both the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (NYSDTF) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have set up web sites that will enable you to track your income tax refunds via the Internet.  

Taxpayers can utilize the tracking service within 72 hours of filing an electronic tax return or four weeks after filing a paper return.  There is no charge to track the status of state or federal income tax refunds.

Residents can access both the online refund tracking system of both the IRS and the NYSDTF by clicking here.  Residents should have copies of their income tax returns on-hand, as they will be required to enter information such as the exact amount of their expected refund, tax filing status, and other tax information from the return.

Additionally, Senator Flanagan has announced that he voted for legislation that passed the Senate that would require the State to pay income tax refunds in a timely manner.

Traditionally, the state Department of Taxation and Finance has held taxpayer refunds for up to two months beginning when the taxpayers file their return.  The legislation Senator Flanagan supported (S.2631) would require the state to pay tax refunds within 30 days of the receipt of a taxpayer’s return, unless there is a discrepancy in the return.  In these cases, the State would be required to provide written notice to the taxpayer and a date when the discrepancy would be resolved.

If the State fails to take these steps, it would be liable to pay interest on the refund to the taxpayer just as the State would require from a delinquent taxpayer. 

“Tax refunds are really overpayments by honest taxpayers and should be returned to them as quickly as possible.  To make people who have filed in a timely manner wait an unreasonable amount of time is simply unacceptable and must be changed,” stated Senator Flanagan.

The bill has been sent to the Assembly for further action.