The Illinois Department of Revenue says it’s ready to process last minute tax returns when the deadline arrives on Wednesday.
A record number of individual tax returns will be filed electronically this year. About six million individual tax returns will be processed by the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Spokesman Terry Horstman says 80 percent of them will be filed through the state’s website using the free “My Tax” program. That’s a slight increase compared to last year.
Horstman says the state is now using additional security measures to prevent identity theft after investigators found criminals trying to file numerous false returns in February.
“We’re happy to report at this time that we are current and we’ve got a number of system upgrades to handle any schemes we’ve detected,” Horstman said. “This is in addition to security upgrades at the beginning of the season as well. The Department of Revenue in Illinois, as well as the revenue departments around the country, are seeing an increased levels of fraudulent activity.”
Despite an expected rush to meet Wednesday’s deadline, Horstman says most people in Illinois who file electronically and use direct deposit will see their refunds in five to ten days.
Horstman says people who use direct deposit should see their Illinois refunds in five to ten days.
