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By Mark Zdechlik, Minnesota Public Radio News

The state Department of Revenue says some Minnesotans are mistaking rebate checks for junk mail and discarding them.

The rebate money is from Minnesota’s budget surplus, and was approved by the Legislature and governor earlier this year. Most of the funds were transferred electronically, but hundreds of thousands of checks are also being mailed.

Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart said the problem is arising from the envelopes the checks are coming in, which have a return address from a contractor the state is working with.

The checks list Submittable Holdings of Missoula, Mont., as a return address. A description with the check describes it as the “State of Minnesota 2021 Tax Rebate Program.”

“The confusing part is it’s got the Montana return address. I think that is what’s confusing people the most on this,” Marquart said. “But we’re trying to prevent the fraud and the theft that we know occur, and one of the ways to do that is making that envelope as nondescript as possible.”

Marquart said there is a fix if people have thrown away the check.

“If for some reason they have either tossed this check, or they think they have not received this check, by the end of September, contact the Department of Revenue, and we will figure that out,” he said.

The rebates of $260 per person and up to $1,300 for a household were limited to those who earned less than $75,000 in 2021 and married filers with an adjusted gross income below $150,000.

The Revenue Department expects nearly 2.1 million rebate payments to be distributed by the end of September. The direct deposits came first, with mail rebates arriving now.