New Mexico taxpayers getting rebates due to budget surplus

Apr 14, 2023

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says eligible taxpayers in June will start receiving rebates as the state moves to return some $673 million to residents' pockets

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A multibillion-dollar surplus due to a surge in oil income will allow New Mexico to send rebates to eligible taxpayers as the state moves to return more than $673 million to residents’ pockets, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday.

The Taxation and Revenue Department says any New Mexico resident who filed a 2021 state tax return and was not declared as a dependent on someone else's return will receive their rebates automatically starting in June.

Taxpayers who received a refund by direct deposit on their 2021 return will have the rebate deposited into their bank account. Everyone else will get a check in the mail. Single filers will get $500, while married couples filing jointly will get $1,000.

Lujan Grisham noted that prices remain high in a state with elevated poverty rates and low workforce participation, but said New Mexico "is in a fantastic financial position.”

Surging oil prices and output have created an estimated $3.6 billion annual surplus over budgeted spending for the coming fiscal year.

While supporting the rebates, the Democratic governor earlier this month scaled down a tax relief package backed by Democratic-led Legislature that she worried could hurt government spending on public education, heath care and law enforcement.

New Mexico residents have until May 31, 2024, to file a 2021 return and still qualify for the rebates. Those who don't have to file a state tax return because of their income can apply for relief payments on a first-come, first-served basis through the state's Human Services Department.