Governor Northam Signs Tax Conformity Legislation

From Gov. Ralph Northam’s office:

Governor Northam Signs Tax Conformity Legislation

~ Virginia Department of Taxation to begin processing individual income tax returns ~

RICHMOND—Today, Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation that conforms Virginia’s tax laws to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and lets the Virginia Department of Taxation begin processing individual income tax returns.

“I am proud that we were able to work together to give Virginians the clarity they deserve during tax season,” said Governor Northam. “Now, because of this important compromise, Virginia taxpayers can properly prepare and file their taxes and our state personnel can start processing tax returns.”

“We are pleased that this bipartisan legislation provides certainty for taxpayers as they file their 2018 individual income tax returns,” said Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne. “Most importantly, with the Governor’s signature on this legislation, the Virginia Department of Taxation can start processing 2018 individual income tax returns for people in the Commonwealth.”

“We are now preparing our systems to begin processing those 2018 returns,” said Tax Commissioner Craig M. Burns. “We do process them in the order we receive them and, as you may expect, we already have a significant backlog, so you may experience slower turnaround times for refunds than in years past.”

Once your return is processed, you can check the status of your refund by using the Where’s My Refund application on the Department of Taxation website. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.