New Jersey To Delay Tax Refunds This Year

Just like last year, you're going to have to wait a little longer to get your money this year.

Taxpayers will experience a slight delay in receiving their state tax refunds this year, according to the state Division of Taxation.

The state Division of Taxation says it is taking steps to protect New Jersey taxpayers from refund fraud and identity theft. These enhanced efforts will result in early filers getting their refunds starting March 1. Normally, refunds come as early as mid-February.

"Similar to last year, this is due to the utilization of tougher anti-fraud measures and is in line with dozens of other states," Willem Rijksen, a state Department of the Treasury spokesman, said in a statement. "Anti-fraud protections need to be revised every year because perpetrators are becoming more adept at return fraud."

According to the state Division of Taxation:

• Returns filed electronically may take a minimum of four weeks to validate and process.
• Returns filed on paper may take a minimum of 12 weeks to validate and process.

The division processes individual income tax returns on a daily basis beginning in January. This processing includes the following:

• Transferring information from the returns to the State's automated processing system
• Checking to see that we transferred the information correctly
• Checking to see if the returns had any mathematical errors
• Checking for inconsistencies and other possible errors

The majority of this processing is automated. However, some returns go through an additional manual process to make sure they were filed correctly, according to the division.

This manual process includes checking to make sure income, deductions and credits were reported correctly. In some cases, the division says it can't complete the processing of a return without additional information from the filer of the return.

Allow for the minimum processing time before contacting us about your refund status. More questions can be answered here: 1-800-323-4400.

NJ Division of Taxation photo