How to Check Your State Tax Refund Status

Guide Note

You dutifully filed your state income tax return, and lucky you, your state owes you money. So, when can you expect that refund check?

How to Check Your State Tax Refund Status will walk you through figuring our whether your state income tax return has been processed and if the check is in the mail or held up in some bureaucratic netherworld. (We hope it's the former.)

State Tax Refund Status Tips

  1. Have all the pertinent information on hand. Before you contact your state's department of revenue or taxation, have your social security number, filing status and refund amount on hand.
  2. Visit your state's department of revenue website. Each state has a different mechanism for checking the status of your refund. Some use an online system; others maintain a telephone hotline. All states, however, have a website that will instruct you on how to check your refund status.
  3. Your 2008 federal tax rebate is different than your federal and state tax refunds. Your 2008 Bush Tax Rebate check is separate from your federal refund check and has nothing to do with your state refund. Rebate checks will be mailed to qualifying taxpayers beginning in May 2008.

Disclaimer

The content of this page is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional financial advice.

Contact the IRS or a professional financial advisor for the most up-to-date and complete information regarding state and federal tax law.

How to Check Your State Tax Refund Status

Find your refund status online. (Photo by Renxx Garmider)
Find your refund status online. (Photo by Renxx Garmider)
  • Every state that levies a personal income tax has either a website or hotline set up to give you information about the status of your refund, if you are owed one.
  • Whether you're using your computer or are relying on Ma Bell, you'll need to provide some information about your tax return to find out whether your refund has been processed yet. Each state requires something slightly different, but, at the very least, you will be asked to provide:
  1. Social Security Number (or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)
  2. Filing Status (Single, Married Filing Joint Return, Married Filing Separate Return, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widow(er))
  3. Exact Refund Amount Shown on Your Return

Online State Tax Refund Status

  • The following states maintain an online refund inquiry service:

State Tax Refund Hotlines

  • The following states do not have an online refund inquiry system set up as of February 2008. Most do, however, have refund hotlines as noted below:

Resources for How to Check Your State Tax Refund Status

General Tax Resources

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