Online gas tax refund claim form now available

Motorists who seek a refund on the hike in the state's motor fuel tax paid over the last nine months now have a claim form to use to get back the money.

Form 4923-H was posted earlier this week on the state's Department of Revenue website, www.dor.mo.gov, for drivers who wish to reclaim the elevated level of tax.

Members of the General Assembly last year passed a 2.5-cent increase in the gas tax, effective Oct. 1.

One of the methods used to persuade legislators to approve the increased levy was allowing any Missourian who didn't want to pay the higher tax to keep gas receipts and file for a refund.

Wayne Wallingford

DOR director Wayne Wallingford of Cape Girardeau told the Southeast Missourian on May 4 his department does not want motorists to send in original gas receipts issued by a service station.

"That's too cumbersome. People will need to keep their paperwork from the gas station but we're going to trust people who report their receipts on the DOR form," he said at the time.

Required information, if desired, may alternatively be entered into a PDF accompanied by Form 4923-H with motorists encouraged to submit via its online method for more efficient processing of claims.

Claims must be postmarked no later than Sept. 30 and drivers must keep documentation for three years.

A separate worksheet must be completed for each vehicle used by a claimant, according to the form's instructions.

Information needed by DOR in a gas tax claim includes the following.

• Date of motor fuel purchase.
• Name of gas seller, address, city, state and ZIP code.
• Number of gallons purchased.
• Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
• Amount to be repaid, a figure calculated by multiplying the number of gallons purchased between Oct. 1 and June 30 by $0.025.

The fuel tax will go up another 2.5 cents July 1 and will continue increasing by the same amount each fiscal year until 2025 - to reach a level of 29 cents per gallon in July 2025.

Missouri Department of Transportation officials say the hike in the gas tax will generate an additional $500 million in revenue to improve roads and bridges in the state.