Comptroller urges taxpayers to register for Illinois Tax Refund Alert System

Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger urges taxpayers to register online to check the status of their Illinois tax returns and sign up for text message and email payment notifications.

The Tax Refund Alert System allows taxpayers enter their name and Social Security number to see if the comptroller's office has processed their 2014 tax refund. Taxpayers also can enter an email address and phone number to receive a payment notification.

In addition, Munger announced her office will include inserts with all tax returns detailing where the state spent $36.7 billion in 2014, information on the state's bill backlog and other tools to help taxpayers learn about state and local finances.

Those who receive their tax refunds through direct deposit may view the tax insert digitally if they register for the Tax Refund Alert System.

Specifically, the tax return insert provides a spending breakdown by state agency. It further provides snapshots of the state's unpaid bills over time, documenting the backlog at the end of the fiscal year and six months later at the end of the calendar year. It refers residents to the comptroller's transparency websites, the Ledger and the Warehouse, for more detail on state and local finances.