INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana tax refund checks are being printed—and that means money will soon be on the way for Hoosiers who’ve waited months for their Automatic Taxpayer Refund payments.
State Auditor Tera Klutz said printing of the first round of 1.7 million checks is underway—and the first recipients should get their money by the weekend.
Hoosiers who didn’t receive the initial Automatic Taxpayer Refund via direct deposit have been waiting weeks for the $125 payments, which were originally set to go out in July before being pushed back to August.
State officials have tried to put a positive spin on the delay, noting that lawmakers approved a second taxpayer refund during the special session. That means the checks will include the original $125 plus the additional $200 approved as part of the state’s inflation relief plan.
While individual taxpayers are expected to receive checks for $325, married couples filing jointly will get $650.
Klutz said the state’s paper order arrived “within days” of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signing of Senate Enrolled Act 2 authorizing the second taxpayer refund. A paper shortage had delayed the printing of checks in July, something Klutz described as a “blessing in disguise” because the state can now consolidate the two payments.
“Like many industries, state government was not spared the headaches that come from dealing with a shortage – in our case, a paper shortage,” Klutz said. “We typically don’t print this many checks at one time, which created the challenge of locating the amount of paper required to print the 1.7 million checks needed.”
Klutz expected all 1.7 million checks to be printed and mailed by early October. The state can print about 50,000 checks per day.
The initial taxpayer refund was the result of a state surplus; half the money went toward Indiana taxpayers while the second half went toward teacher pensions as required by law.
The second refund is also coming from the state’s reserves and was the centerpiece of Holcomb’s plan to help Hoosiers struggling with inflation and high gas prices. It was the original reason the governor called the special session in July.
Taxpayers who received the initial $125 payment via direct deposit will also get their $200 via the same method. The Indiana Department of Revenue is handling the direct deposits, while the Auditor of State’s Office is handling the checks.
The Department of Revenue expected direct deposit payments for the $200 refund to start hitting bank accounts by “late August.” Both agencies are asking Hoosiers to wait until Nov. 1 first to ask about the status of their money.
