Minnesotans are eligible for rebate checks of $260 if an individual earned less than $75,000 in 2021 or $520 for couples who made less than $150,000. (Jerry Holt, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The state of Minnesota sent out more than 2 million rebate checks through the end of September — but not all of them have been cashed.

A spokesman for the Department of Revenue said that while rebate checks continue to be cashed every day, the department estimates roughly 150,000 paper checks still haven't been brought to the bank by Minnesotans. Those checks are void after 60 days and will need to be reissued, said spokesman Ryan Brown.

"Though we don't know every reason or have a numeric breakdown of why a check wasn't cashed and voided, we've heard from our contact center that some people destroyed the check thinking it was fake or junk mail," Brown said. "Others returned the check due to personal beliefs, and others didn't update their address so the check wouldn't reach their current residence."

Many checks were sent directly to Minnesotans' bank accounts via direct deposit. If the state didn't have banking information, they sent a paper check to the address they had on file. But a number of individuals contacted the Star Tribune, saying they had not yet received a check and were told by the state they'd have to wait until November or December for it to arrive.

The state of Minnesota worked with a vendor called Submittable Holdings Inc. in Missoula, Montana to get the checks sent to taxpayers' homes, which caused some confusion from people who received them in the mail. The nondescript envelopes were likely tossed by others, not realizing they were rebate checks.

The rebates were part of a $3 billion package of tax cuts and increases passed last session. Individual Minnesotans were eligible for a $260 rebate check if they had a gross adjusted income of up to $75,000 in 2021, and $520 for married filers who earned up to $150,000. Families could get an additional rebate check for up to three dependents, for a maximum of $1,300.

The department announced in early October that it had finished processing and sending out nearly $1 billion in rebates to Minnesotans. Brown said checks were mailed throughout September, which means the 60-day period to cash a check expires in November. Once a check voids, the state will issue a new one that's good for another 60 days. Reissued checks will go out in two batches, he added, one in mid-November and the other the first week of December.

Those are not the last opportunities for eligible Minnesotans to get their rebates. The state has said it will eventually add rebate checks to the state's unclaimed property program within the Department of Commerce, where Minnesotans can go to claim them.

"We will continue to provide outreach to taxpayers who have not yet claimed the payment to ensure they receive it," Brown said.