Oklahoma tax refunds no longer issued with paper checks

If you’re so lucky to get a tax return from the state of Oklahoma you will no longer receive that refund by a paper check.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission will no longer issue paper refund checks, but will issue the funds on the plastic cards. Tax payers can still elect to have their refunds deposited directly into a checking or savings account.

Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, was the House author of House Bill 1086, passed last session, that provides those payments from the state treasury be issued electronically.

The result of eliminating the paper checks will save the state millions of dollars, but a certain number has not been announced.

According to the Tax Commission, a fee of $1.50 per month will be deducted from the refund amount after 60 days of inactivity on the debit card. Taxpayers who opt for a debit-card refund will be charged 75 cents for transferring the balance on the card to a savings or checking account.

Paula Ross, a spokeswoman for the commission, told the Tulsa World “Taxpayers can use the convenience of a debit card for making purchases, paying bills or recipients will have access to cash by using a teller for cash withdrawal at any MasterCard member bank or credit union within Oklahoma without incurring a fee.”

The newspaper reported in 2011, the agency deposited 622,788 refunds directly and issued 477,240 paper checks for refunds.

Married couples who file jointly, will each receive a debit card.

 The Tulsa World contributed with this article.