PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon taxpayers have claimed nearly $1.6 billion of the record $5.61 billion revenue tax kicker this tax season with one month to go before the April 15 filing deadline.
There's more than $4 billion in kicker surplus that remains to be claimed, the Oregon Department of Revenue said. So far, the department has received around 950,000 tax returns, but expect 1.2 million returns expected to be filled in 2024.
“More than 1 million taxpayers still need to file, and we are urging Oregonians not to wait until the last minute,” said Megan Denison, administrator of the agency’s Personal Tax and Compliance Division. “We also urge anyone who is owed a kicker to file and claim it.”
This year's kicker is the largest in state history. Oregonians can claim their kicker when filing their state tax returns. The amount sent is based on how much was paid in taxes for 2022, so higher income earners can expect to receive much larger kicker payments. The Oregon Department of Revenue has rolled out an online "What's My Kicker?" tool where taxpayers can look up their cut by entering their name, social security number and filing status.
A "kicker" rebate kicks in when revenue collected through state taxes exceed official projections at the start of the budget cycle. If that happens, state law requires the surplus to be sent to taxpayers as a rebate.
Taxpayers can also manually calculate their expected kicker by multiplying their 2022 tax liability — line 22 on form OR-40 from 2022 — by 44.28%, which is the percentage by which the state's actual revenue exceeded the projected revenue for the 2021-2023 biennium.
Who is not eligible for the Oregon kicker?
If you did not file a 2022 Oregon income tax return or pay any Oregon state income tax due before credits, you will not see an Oregon kicker when filing state return. The same is true for filers who did not complete the filing process last year because they failed respond to letters from the department seeking more information.
What do I need to file my tax return?
While the required documents might depend on your individual case, here is a general list of what everyone needs:
- Social Security number
- W-2 forms, if you are employed
- 1099-G, if you are unemployed
- 1099 forms, if you are self-employed
- Savings and investment records
- Any eligible deduction, such as educational expenses, medical bills, charitable donations, etc.
- Tax credits, such as child tax credit, retirement savings contributions credit, etc.
To find a more detailed document list, visit the IRS website.
What free resources are out there?
On federal tax returns, those who make $73,000 or less per year, the IRS offers free guided tax preparation that does the math for you. If you have questions while working on your tax forms, the IRS also offers an interactive tax assistant tool that can provide answers based on your information.
The IRS also funds two types of programs that offer free tax help: VITA and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly program (TCE). People who earn $60,000 or less a year, have disabilities or are limited English speakers, qualify for the VITA program. Those who are 60 or older, qualify for the TCE program. The IRS has a site for locating organizations hosting VITA and TCE clinics.
For state income tax returns, a new platform, called Direct File Oregon, was launched where taxpayers can file through Revenue Online for free, as part of a pilot program through the IRS. Currently, Direct File Oregon is not linked with the IRS Direct File, taxpayers will need to file a separate federal return prior to filling out the state income return with Direct File Oregon.
More free options and services for state income tax returns are listed here.
