Will My State Refund Be Delayed in 2019?

For 2020 updates, see our newest post on state refund delays.

Wait, refund delays? Does this have to do with the government shutdown?

Actually, no—the shutdown is unlikely to affect how soon people will receive their refunds. That’s on the federal level, too; state taxes operate on their own individual systems, and delays on state refunds are usually caused by a crackdown on tax information security and anti-fraud measures.

The past couple years have seen a rise in delayed state refunds, and the trend looks like it’s here to stay.

Which states expect refund delays in 2019?

Here are all the states with income taxes and whether or not they expect refund delays:

Alabama – If you have not received your refund within 8-10 weeks of filing, then your refund may have been stopped for review. You will receive a letter requesting additional information or verification of your return or identification.

Arizona – The department is not in a position to provide specific timeframes for refund processing.

Arkansas – The DOR is taking additional measures to ensure tax refunds are issued to the correct individuals. These additional measures may result in tax refunds not being issued as quickly as in past years.

California – Refunds issued or issues addressed in 1 month after e-file.

Colorado – Taxpayers could experience delays of as long as 60 days compared to previous years due to the Department’s enhanced tax refund fraud detection efforts.

Connecticut – No holding of refunds announced.

Delaware – Delaware refunds will be released starting in mid-February, and the first refunds released should be received the week of February 18. This will give the Division of Revenue more time to detect and prevent fraud, and help ensure that all taxpayers get the refund they are owed.

Georgia – It may take more than 90 days from the date of receipt by the DOR to process a return and issue a refund.

Hawaii – You should receive a refund 9-10 weeks after mailing or e-filing your tax return.

Idaho – Expect your refund about 7-8 weeks after the date you receive a filing acknowledgement from the state. First-time filers: It takes about 3 weeks to enter new filers into the state’s system. Until that time, state refund updates will report your return as “not entered in system.” Add those 3 weeks to the estimates above to determine your refund timeline.

Illinois – In general, you can expect your refund to take longer than previous years as the state continues efforts to prevent identity theft and fraud.

Indiana – No holding of refunds announced.

Iowa – Iowa tax returns are thoroughly reviewed for accuracy to ensure refunds go to the right taxpayer in the correct amount and stay out of the hands of criminals. This includes a combination of automated and manual reviews and is different for each return.

Kansas – no holding of refunds announced.

Kentucky – The state has strengthened their fraud detection tools, so receiving your tax refund may take longer than in previous years. e-Filers can expect to have their refunds within 2-3 weeks of an accepted return if they use the direct deposit service.

Louisiana – The Louisiana Department of Revenue has responded to increasing occurrences of identity theft by implementing enhanced security measures to protect taxpayers. This means it will take additional time to process refunds. The expected refund processing time for returns filed electronically is up to 60 days.

Maine – No holding of refunds announced.

Maryland – No holding of refunds announced.

Massachusetts – No holding of refunds announced.

Michigan – No holding of refunds announced.

Minnesota – Minnesota will not be holding refunds. They will be issued after the return has been reviewed for accuracy. Minnesota also has a Property Tax refund that is available to homeowners and renters. Around 800,000 refunds are sent. The large volume of refunds are issued July 1, August 1, August 15 and September 15.

Mississippi – no holding of refunds announced.

Missouri – No holding of refunds announced.

Montana – No holding of refunds announced.

Nebraska – Please allow a minimum of 30 days to receive your refund if you e-file an error-free return.

New Jersey – Holding refunds until March.

New Mexico – The Department generally processes electronically filed returns claiming a refund within 6 to 8 weeks.

New York – No holding of refunds announced.

North Carolina – No holding of refunds announced.

North Dakota – No holding of refunds announced.

Ohio – No holding of refunds announced.

Oklahoma – No holding of refunds announced.

Oregon – Holding until after February 15.

Pennsylvania – No holding of refunds announced.

Rhode Island – No holding of refunds announced.

South Carolina – No holding of refunds announced.

Utah – Refunds will be processed as received unless additional verification is needed. If so, they will be released after March 1, 2019.

Vermont – e-Filed returns have an expected time frame of 6-8 weeks.

Virginia – Electronically filed returns should see refunds in up to 4 weeks.

West Virginia – The West Virginia State Tax Department is responding to an increased risk of fraudulent filings, and is implementing enhanced security measures for your protection. As a result, expect a significant delay of your tax refund. You should only call concerning your refund if it has been more than 10 weeks since filing your return.

Wisconsin – If filed electronically, most refunds are issued in less than three weeks.