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Millions of Illinois residents are getting income and property tax rebates this fall.
Dan Avery
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Dan is a writer on CNET’s How-To team. His byline has appeared in Newsweek, NBC News, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, The Daily Mail and elsewhere. He is a crossword junkie and is interested in the intersection of tech and marginalized communities.
Some 6 million Illinois residents are receiving an income tax rebate, property tax rebate or both, thanks to the state’s $1.8 billion Family Relief Plan. Physical checks started going out Sept. 12, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue, and will continue to be mailed for the next several months.
The state is “working overtime” to get payments to eligible taxpayers, Assistant Comptroller Kevin Schoeben told WICS TV-20, but “It’s just the sheer volume that we have to release within that period.”
The relief plan, which went into effect July 1, also includes a pause of a gas tax increase until January and a suspension of the sales tax on groceries through July 2023.
Here’s what you need to know about Illinois state tax rebates, including who qualifies, how much you could get and how (and when) you’ll get your money.
For more on economic relief, see what other states are issuing tax rebates and stimulus payments and child tax credits,
Illinois residents who paid taxes in 2021 and made under $200,000 if they filed individually or under $400,000 for couples filing jointly all qualify.
Individuals will receive a $50 income tax rebate; couples will receive $100. The rebate is also worth $100 per dependent claimed on your 2021 taxes, for up to three dependents. In all, a family of four can earn as much as $300.
Illinois residents who paid state property taxes last year on their primary residence in 2020 are eligible for the rebate if their adjusted gross income on their 2021 Form IL-1040 is under $250,000. For couples filing jointly, the cap is $500,000.
If you qualify, your rebate is equal to the property tax credit you were able to claim on your 2021 IL-1040 form, up to $300.
If you filed 2021 Form IL-1040 and Schedule ICR, you don’t need to do anything. The state is sending your rebate the same way you received your state tax refund.
If you didn’t get a refund, a physical check will be mailed to the address on your tax return.
For residents receiving both property and income rebates, the payments will come in a single deposit or check.
If you believe you are eligible for a refund check and do not receive one, you have until Oct. 17 to file a Property Tax Rebate form. You can submit it electronically through MyTax Illinois or mail in a paper form.
Checks start being distributed Sept. 12, according to the comptroller, and the last ones should reach taxpayers by mid-November.
You can always check on the status of your rebates by using the Where’s My Rebate? application.