Missouri's Revenue Department said Thursday it's taking an average of 9.6 days to issue income tax refund checks - about 1.5 days longer than the department reported April 23, but still faster than a year ago.
Last year at this time, Director Joel Walters said in a news release, "Our average was 18.7 days and we had processed 301,000 fewer refund checks."
He reminded Missourians that other factors, such as cash flow, also can influence the timing of refund payments, and the numbers may change again between now and when the state has paid all refunds that are due.
In January, State Auditor Nicole Galloway reported the department "was balancing its checkbook on the backs of working Missourians, (and) taxpayers were rightfully frustrated because they waited months to receive their tax refunds from the state."
Galloway in March began a second audit of the department's refund process.
At that time, Anne Marie Moy, the Revenue Department's Communications director, told the News Tribune: "We believe the auditor will see we have to-date made significant improvements over prior years. We hope to see that trend continue."
Lawmakers changed the law in 2015, requiring the department to make refunds within 45 days or pay interest on the delayed payments. The old law had allowed a 90-day delay before interest was due.
During Wednesday's Senate debate on the department's budget, Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, reminded Appropriations Chairman Dan Brown, R-Rolla, the 2015 law change occurred because "our prior governor (Jay Nixon) was holding onto those refunds and, in my mind, kind of playing a shell game with revenues coming in, and withholds and things like that."
Brown said he had not seen current numbers for refunds made this year, for the 2017 tax year.
Hoskins said: "It looks like interest paid to individuals totaled $306,000 in fiscal year 2016 (July 2015-June 2016), and we paid $423,000 interest to individuals in 2017.
"That's because those refunds were not issued within 45 days."
The department didn't provide information about the number or cost of refunds in 2018, compared with last year.
But, in Thursday's news release, Walters said: "A faster turnaround time on refund checks is good for our customers and good for Missouri's economy, as it means more money is being spent at local businesses and circulating through our communities."
He added: "I'm very proud of all the Department's hardworking employees and the overall progress that's been made in service to Missouri citizens."