Online filings could speed up your state refund

ALBANY – There's still time to file your taxes online if you want the speediest possible state tax refund.

For last-minute filers waiting for Tuesday to complete their 2017 taxes, the state Department of Taxation and Finance wants you to know that online filing is fast, convenient and could improve the speed of your refund. The fastest possible refund will also require filers to request direct deposit, according to department spokesman James Gazzale.

"We're able to process those returns much quicker," he said, estimating that the all-digital process is about two weeks faster than submitting a paper filing and requesting a check in the mail. Regardless of how you file, though, the department anticipates sending out refunds within a matter of weeks after receiving a return.

And even if you're filing your taxes right before the deadline on Tuesday, Gazzale said it shouldn't have much affect on the speed of a refund being distributed. "Our processing times are pretty steady throughout the year," he said.

A refund can be slower to go out the door if there is a complex tax return, suspicious activity is detected, or information is missing from a return. If taxpayers don't respond to requests or questions from the tax department the process can be delayed further.

Gazzale said they encourage New Yorkers to set up an online services account so they can access information about their filing, view previous returns and receive automatic alerts. An online account can hasten the process of resolving red flags with a filing.

The speed of refunds is also affected by the state's effort to detect mistakes and fraud in the tax filings. There is an automated system that initially detects suspicious behavior and further screening can include a human review.

The review process relies on advanced business and data analytics, which have been copied by other states and countries. "It's really a state-of-the-art system," Gazzale said.

In 2017, the department stopped 330,000 suspicious refunds, although a portion were simply the result of mistakes.

Refunds for this year have been going out the door since February, with the first filers starting after Jan. 29. More than 4.3 million refunds worth about $4 billion have been issued for this season, according to Gazzale.

If you have any questions you need answers about your state taxes, the department of Taxation and Finance is offering extended call hours until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.