David Ige announced yesterday that taxpayers will start receiving their state tax refunds next week. Currently, about 600,000 Hawaiʻi taxpayers are scheduled to receive approximately $294 million in tax refunds.

In the first round of refund distributions, 100,000 taxpayers will receive their refunds through either direct deposit or by mail on or about Sept. 12. The Department of Taxation says two additional distribution dates are scheduled for Sept. 9 and Sept. 13, which should complete the bulk of direct deposit refunds.

Paper check refunds will be made in batches of 2,000 until additional check stock arrives. Once the check stock is received, paper refunds will increase to 90,000 per week.

Taxpayers receiving refund checks by mail and who filed their tax returns by July 31, should receive their refunds by the end of October. Again, this is dependent on the arrival of check stock. Refunds for taxpayers who filed their returns after July 31, will be issued up to 10 weeks after acceptance the DOTAX.

Taxpayers who requested an electronic direct deposit will receive their refund through the same bank account. Taxpayers who requested a paper check refund or owed additional taxes, will receive their refund by paper check. Taxpayers may not change the method of refund.

In all – there are 303,000 direct deposit refunds and 295,000 paper refunds scheduled to be distributed so far. Eligible taxpayers must file their 2021 tax returns by Dec. 31 of this year to qualify for this tax refund.

Taxpayers who filed individual income tax returns for 2021 and have been residents of Hawaiʻi for at least nine months are eligible for the refund.

• Taxpayers who earn less than $100,000/year, or couples earning less than $200,000/year will receive $300 each (including dependents, so a family of four would receive $1,200).
• Taxpayers who earn $100,000 or more, or couples earning $200,000 or more will receive $100 each (including dependents).

“It is my hope that the $300 million in tax refunds being distributed so far, bring some relief to the hardworking people of the State of Hawaiʻi who were hit hard by the pandemic,” said David Ige.