Illinois Taxpayers Who Filed Before Deadline May Get Extra Refund

ILLINOIS — Over 300,000 Illinois residents who received unemployment and filed their income taxes before March 15 may be eligible for refunds from the Illinois Department of Revenue in light of a recently enacted federal tax exemption, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement Wednesday.

The latest COVID-19 stimulus bill, called the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, retroactively makes the first $10,200 of a person's unemployment benefits nontaxable for those with an adjusted gross income of less than $150,000. Couples who filed jointly will have the provision applied to the first $20,400 of their unemployment benefits.

These taxpayers will be notified by the Illinois Department of Revenue if any refunds are due to them. The department said people can expect to receive a refund check about two to three weeks after being notified.

If a resident filed their taxes by paper prior to March 15, they will need to file an amended return to qualify for the refund.

"For most eligible filers, no additional action is required. However, I encourage all taxpayers eligible for this tax exemption to review their return to determine if additional action is necessary to claim this valuable tax benefit," said David Harris, director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.

For those who filed on or after March 15, an amended return will only need to be submitted if a taxpayer did not include an unemployment exclusion on their state and federal returns.

For more information, residents can visit the IDOR website at tax.illinois.gov.