AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — It's tax season, and an Amherst man reached out to 7 News, frustrated after waiting weeks for his state tax refund.
Sean Michaels contacted us by email saying he filed his return on February 4, but was told it could take up to 90 days to receive his money. He says others who filed later are already seeing their refunds.
"I got my tax return done really early, February 4th, to try and get the return money back sooner because it's definitely needed. Everything is so expensive," Michaels said.
Michaels received his federal refund within two weeks of filing, but more than a month later, his state return is still processing — with updates hard to come by.
He says he has repeatedly checked the state's website and called the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, but has received little information from representatives.
"Your tax return was received February 7th, don't show any issues, but no further updates can be provided," Michaels said.
WATCH: Amherst man frustrated by weeks-long wait for New York State tax refund
Michaels says his return is straightforward. He is a single filer with no unique tax circumstances. He says he is not aware of any problems with his return, but has been told that if an issue does come up, it could take months to resolve.
"I'm told you can wait up to 90 days before there's considered a possibility of an error, issue or anything can be submitted," Michaels said.
I took Michaels' concerns to Esther Gulyas, president and CEO of EG Tax, who says she is not seeing anything unusual this year when it comes to state refunds.
"The truth is every year they just start to lag and it can take quite a while to get your New York state refund," Gulyas said.
Gulyas encourages taxpayers with questions, like Michaels, to stay diligent in contacting the state.
"If they say there are things that are on the tax return that need more exploring, they are kind of hand-processing it. Once it kicks out of the computer and it's hand-processed, then it can take an additional 30 days," Gulyas said.
I also reached out to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Spokesperson Ryan Cleveland said refunds are going out normally, with most people receiving their refunds within 30 days of filing.
"It's not an uncommon thing for there to be a question about a person's return. If there is, that could delay their refund," Cleveland said.
Cleveland added that millions of returns have already been delivered and that tax secrecy laws prevent the department from speaking to any specific individual's experience.
