Tax Day in Michigan: 15 questions you might have on due date, refunds, more
No tax year is quite the same when it comes to dealing with filing your federal and state income tax returns and this tax season has its own quirks.
We're looking at an odd date for the tax deadline, some long-gone stimulus-related tax breaks that are already reducing the average size of refunds and, like every year, plenty of questions on when to expect an income tax refund.
Here are answers to some thorny tax topics that might be on your mind in the next few weeks:
When exactly is Tax Day 2023?
Most taxpayers are looking at an April 18 filing deadline — which is a Tuesday and not the more typical April 15 deadline — for federal returns.
The reason? April 15 falls on a Saturday and the District of Columbia’s Emancipation Day holiday falls on Monday, April 17.
Taxpayers who end up requesting an automatic six-month extension will have until Oct. 16 to file.
Taxpayers who live in states hit by natural disasters are looking at an even later deadline.
Taxpayers in most of California, which experienced severe winter storms, flooding and landslides, and taxpayers in parts of Alabama and Georgia now have until Oct. 16 to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in these three states. Earlier, the tax deadline was postponed to May 15 in these states but then the IRS announced later in February that the deadline would be Oct. 16. Among other things, eligible taxpayers will have until Oct. 16 to make 2022 contributions to their IRAs and health savings accounts.
See details regarding such extensions are at the Tax Relief in Disaster Situations page on IRS.gov.
When are Michigan income taxes due?
April 18.
When are city of Detroit income taxes due?
Again, April 18 this year.
More:What to know about the 2023 tax credit for clean vehicles if you're car shopping
How can I check the status of my Michigan income tax refund?
If you filed your state of Michigan income tax return, you can check online to find updates. See michigan.gov/taxes/iit/refund.
Typically, you need to wait two weeks from the date you received confirmation that your Michigan state income tax return was accepted via e-file before you can check for any information about your refund.
If you filed a paper return, Michigan's website notes that you need to wait six weeks before trying to check for any updates on your refund.
You also can use this link to get access to information about your Michigan refund during the current year and previous years.
More:You can buy I Bonds with your tax refund: What to know about rates, deadline
When will I receive my Michigan income tax refund?
"For refunds, eFile returns take about 14 days and paper returns take about eight weeks," said Ron Leix, a Treasury spokesperson.
If there is an error on the return, you could expect your refund to be delayed.
He noted that about 90% of Michigan taxpayers use the state eFile system. About 90% of taxpayers eFile.
More:Your 2022 tax refund could be smaller than you expect — and take longer to get, too
What if I have a question about my Michigan return?
Michigan taxpaers are encouraged to use Treasury eServices to address their questions. To use the service, you'll need to provide key information including:
The primary filer's Social Security number.
Primary filer's last name
Tax year
Filing status
Adjusted Gross Income or Total Household Resources. Michigan AGI is listed on line 10 of the MI-1040. Total Household Resources are found on line 33 on the MI-1040CR or line 37 on the MI-1040CR-7.
More:IRS processing returns faster in first 3 weeks — but average refunds down 14%
What's a phone number for Michigan Treasury?
An individual with a question can call the Michigan Department of Treasury at 517-636-4486. But here's a warning: The state notes that calls may become disconnected during high call volume periods.
For many, it's best to look for an answer online.
More:People may not realize they're eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit on 2022 returns
What is the average tax refund?
Based on tax returns filed early in the season, the average federal income tax refund was $3,140 for returns processed through Feb. 17. That's down 11.2% from the average of $3,536 for the same time period last year.
The IRS issued nearly 27.8 million tax refunds through Feb. 17 — up nearly 26% from the same time period last year. More than 36.8 million federal returns were received through mid-February, up 2.6%. The IRS seems to be processing returns at a faster pace, however.
Several tax credits returned to lower 2019 levels, making the odds higher for a smaller refund. The Child and Dependent Care Credit, for example, returns to a maximum of $2,100 in 2022 instead of $8,000 in 2021.
How long does it take for the IRS to issue a refund?
It's possible that taxpayers could face fewer delays when filing their 2022 returns, now that the IRS has worked through much of its backlog that built up during the pandemic.
If you electronically file your federal income tax return, it can take 24 hours to 48 hours for the IRS to accept the return into the system. The IRS is checking your personal information to make sure it matches what's on record.
Then, it can take up to 21 days to receive a refund via direct deposit. But often refunds for e-filed returns are issued in less time than that.
"If you filed on paper and are expecting a refund, it could take four weeks or more to process your return," according to an IRS update posted online Jan. 30.
A return that has mistakes, lacks all the necessary information or raises red flags regarding ID theft is going to take much longer to process.
Another warning: A federal income tax return could take up to 14 weeks for the IRS to process if it includes a Form 8379, the Injured Spouse Allocation. If you're married and filing jointly, you could use this form to try to get back your share of a tax refund if the refund has been reduced to apply to a debt owed by your spouse, not you.
How can I check on my federal refund?
See the "Where's My Refund?" tool on IRS.gov. Information for the most current tax year filed is generally available 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of a taxpayer's e-filed return.
Taxpayers who filed a paper return must wait four weeks after they filed the return before checking the status. Taxpayers who are e-filing a 2020 or 2021 return now must wait about three or four days after e-filing to check their refund status using the online tool.
The IRS filing tool will give you a personalized date after the agency processes your return and approves the refund.
"No need to check on your refund status more than once a day since it’s updated once every 24 hours, usually in the middle of the night," said IRS spokesperson Luis Garcia.
The IRS notes that its IRS2Go app has the “Where’s My Refund?” feature and can be downloaded to your smartphone.
Should I hold off filing my 2022 income tax return if the IRS has not yet completed the return filed last year?
No. The IRS says people can file their 2022 returns this year even if they are facing processing delays involving returns filed for previous years.
What if I have a problem with ID theft?
The IRS has some no-appointment-needed Saturday events, including one March 11, where the IRS Detroit Taxpayer Assistance Center at 477 Michigan Ave. office will be open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
On April 8, two IRS taxpayer centers in Michigan are scheduled to be open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. — the Detroit office on Michigan Avenue and the Flint office at 917 N. Saginaw St.
Face-to-face Saturday help is being offered those days during those same hours at a wide range of IRS taxpayer centers across the country. Taxpayers might request help for snags involving refunds, ID theft and other concerns. Payments can be made by check or money order, not cash.
More:What to know about the 2023 tax credit for clean vehicles if you're car shopping
Why did I get a Form 1099-G? Does it mean I owe money?
Often, you're getting a 1099-G to report any state or local income tax refunds received last year. This amount might be considered taxable on your federal return but not always. If you itemized deductions on your federal income tax return, you will need to report the state income tax refund received last year as income.
Or a 1099-G spells out how much a jobless worker received in unemployment benefits, as well as any income tax that might have been withheld the past year.
Some taxpayers can forget — or not realize — that they need to claim jobless benefits and need to make sure that they have a 1099-G in hand before filing a return.
Tax filers need to report the exact dollar amount they received for unemployment compensation last year on their 2022 federal income tax return. And yes, that unemployment compensation is treated as taxable income on the federal return and the Michigan income tax return.
The rules did change temporarily for unemployment benefits collected in 2020 to give many people a tax break but we're back to the old rules for jobless benefits collected in 2022 and 2021.
Can I deduct my charitable contributions?
Nearly nine out of 10 taxpayers are taking that standard deduction these days — meaning they're not itemizing expenses and claiming deductions, such as charitable contributions, on their tax returns. If you itemize on the 2022 return, you can claim charitable contributions.
On 2020 and 2021 federal returns, taxpayers could tap into a temporary tax break if they gave cash to a charity but did not itemize. But that break went away for 2022.
During the tax season last year, for example, non-itemizers were able to deduct up to $300 if single or up to $600 if married and filing a joint return for cash contributions made to a qualifying charity in 2021 when they filed their taxes last year.
One special tax break: This tax season, those who do not itemize but are older than age 70½ could qualify for a tax break if they made a charitable contribution last year through an IRA distribution that was sent directly to a charity. Such a contribution can be up to $100,000 and the saver would avoid claiming that distribution as part of income.
Contact Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @tompor. To subscribe, please go to freep.com/specialoffer.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tax Day in Michigan 2023: Due date, refund, more questions
