The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is reminding taxpayers that the deadline to file and pay state individual income taxes is just a few days away. This year’s deadline was extended from April 15 to July 15 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s new deadline also aligns with the extended federal tax deadline, meaning both state and federal returns are due on July 15.
So far, a total of 5.3 million Illinois taxpayers have already filed their 2019 Illinois individual income tax return, which is around 85 percent of expected returns this year. To date, $1.4 billion in refunds have been returned to 3.3 million taxpayers. The fastest way to receive a refund is to file a tax return electronically and request direct deposit into a checking or savings account.
All Illinois taxpayers can file their Form IL-1040 for free using the MyTax Illinois website. Taxpayers can also use the MyTax portal to check on their refund status, make a payment, retrieve their PIN or look up their estimate/extension payments. Individuals needing help with their filing can call IDOR’s assistance hotline at 1-800-732-8866.
Additionally, some lower-income taxpayers may be able to file their federal returns for free through the Internal Revenue Service’s FreeFile program. You can learn more at https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/about-the-irs-free-file-program.