We know the work we do at the Ohio Treasury is a little complex—so if you’re interested, these frequently asked questions and responses will help provide insight on our operations and how we work for you.
General Information and Treasury Services:
Q – Does the Ohio Treasurer's office cash state, federal, or personal checks?
The Ohio Treasury cashes state checks with proper I.D for state employees. However, we do not cash federal checks or personal checks because the Treasury is not a regular bank.
We cash warrants as a courtesy to state employees with two valid forms of ID (i.e., driver's license, Social Security card, state ID). Unfortunately, we cannot cash warrants for those who are not employed by the state.
If the warrant is $5,000 or more, in addition to the above requirements, a special form will be filled out by the cashier which the customer then takes to Key Bank in order to cash the warrant.
Q – I have a question about a bond and what to do with it (i.e., how to cash, what is it worth, etc.). Whom should I contact?
Contact The Treasurer's Office at (614) 466-7752.
Q – What are the hours of operation for the Cashier's office?
8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday.
Q – When can money be wired for State and Custodial agencies?
Funds can be wired between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M.
Q – I have a question about wiring funds.
Questions about wiring funds should be directed to the Revenue Management Department - (614) 752-8484
Q – Where can I view a list of state depository banks?
You can view the list of state depository banks with which the State of Ohio does business by clicking here.
For Business and Banks:
Q – I have an Ag-Link/GrowNOW question.
For general Ag-Link or GrowNOW questions, please call (800) 228-1102.
Q – What is Bid Ohio?
Bid Ohio is an auction in which state depository banks bid for State of Ohio interim funds.
Q – What are interim funds?
Interim funds are state moneys which have been received by the Treasury, but are not needed to meet the immediate needs of the state.
Q – How can my bank participate in Bid Ohio?
If yours is a state depository bank, you can bid easily on Ohio interim funds by clicking here.
Q – I have a question about Electronic Funds Transfer.
For answers to EFT-related questions, please refer to the Payments to the Treasury section.
For Government:
Q – I have a STAR Ohio question.
Contact Carnegie Capital Management at (800) 648-STAR or visit the STAR Ohio resource.
Q – What is STAR Ohio?
The State Treasury Asset Reserve of Ohio (STAR Ohio) is a AAA rated investment alternative created for eligible governmental subdivisions as defined in Section 135.45(E)(2) of the Ohio Revised Code. The investment pool is managed by a full-time investment staff with the Ohio Treasury and is similar in concept to a money market mutual fund. STAR Ohio affords the participants a convenient tool for investing in a diversified pool of high quality short-term assets.
Q – Why is STAR Ohio better than what I do now?
We believe the unique features of the STAR Ohio program (its pooling mechanism, investment vehicle, and the Treasurer of State’s note purchase commitment) combine to create the most flexible and low cost cash flow management tool available to school districts and other eligible governmental subdivisions in Ohio today.
Q – Are there any fees for participation in STAR Ohio?
There are no transaction or account maintenance charges assessed to your shareholder accounts. All expenses of the fund are deducted prior to the calculation of the daily yield. Therefore, the yield you are quoted is the yield your account earns. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of accounts each participant may open, and STAR Ohio does not charge the participants for wires into or out of STAR Ohio.
Q – Are there any minimum requirements for investment in STAR Ohio?
There is not a minimum amount required for investment in STAR Ohio, nor is there a required investment period.
Q – How and when can I access my STAR Ohio account information?
Access account balance and yield information 24 hours a day, through STAR Search, by calling (800) 648-STAR (7827) or visit www.starohio.com.
Wire transfer requests must be received by 12:00 p.m. to be processed on that business day. These requests are made by calling STAR Ohio's toll-free number: (800) 648-STAR (7827).
Q – How is interest posted to my STAR Ohio account?
Participants earn interest on their funds each day. Income on your investment is compounded daily to your shareholder account and may be liquidated throughout the month. The daily yield on the investment is determined by the investment securities portfolio, less the expenses of the pool.
Q – What are the investment objectives of the fund?
STAR Ohio has three investment objectives: rock solid safety, entrepreneurial liquidity and wealth-building yield. Safety is obtained by investing in high quality instruments. The fund offers daily liquidity without penalty, and with increased purchasing power, higher yield can be realized.
Q – What are the underlying securities of the STAR Ohio portfolio?
Approximately 94% of the portfolio is invested in U.S. government obligations and U.S. government agency securities. The remainder of the portfolio is invested in fully collateralized certificates of deposit, repurchase agreements, eligible bankers' acceptances and commercial paper. While the fund is not insured, it is backed by the underlying securities of the portfolio.
Q – Will I receive a statement?
Participants receive a Daily Transaction Statement each time monies are moved into or out of their STAR Ohio account. A Monthly Statement, which confirms all transactions and accrued interest earned for the month, is mailed to all participants.
Q – What is Reparations Rotary?
Reparations Rotary is a program that allows Ohio courts and health districts to easily remit their required fees electronically on the Ohio Treasurer’s website. Click here to get started.
Q – How do courts report proceeds from motor vehicle and watercraft sales tax?
To get started, click here.
Q – I am a local government finance officer. How can I receive training on prudent investment strategies?
The Ohio Treasury’s Center for Public Investment Management (CPIM) provides continuing education to Ohio’s public funds managers and their oversight authorities. Click here to learn more and to view course descriptions and course schedules.
Payments to the Treasury (if you do not find the answer to your question here, please see the Tax Questions section)
Q – What is the Treasurer’s Office EFT?
You may pay certain taxes through an electronic funds transfer to the Ohio Treasurer of State. The Treasurer’s EFT uses the ACH Credit and ACH Debit options.
Q – What type of taxes can by paid through the Treasurer’s Office EFT?
Cigarette, Commercial Activity, Corporate Franchise, MCF & KWH, Motor Vehicle Fuel, Municipal, Public Utilities, Sales or Use, Streamlined Sales, Withholding, IOLTA, Premium Insurance, IFTA and Direct Pay.
Q – What is the ACH credit option?
You authorize your bank to send your tax payment to the State of Ohio. We will provide you with the banking information when you register to pay via EFT.
Q – What is the ACH debit option?
You authorize the State of Ohio to debit your tax payment from your bank account. This transaction is performed by a touch-tone phone call. The ACH debit method is not available through the Ohio Treasurer's Office for Commercial Activity Tax or Streamlined Sales Tax. The debit method is available for Commercial Activity Tax and Streamlined Sales Tax at the Ohio Business Gateway web site.
Q – What ID number do I use to pay my taxes via EFT?
Use your Ohio ID/Account number/Vendor's license number assigned to you by the Ohio Department of Taxation or call the Ohio Department of Taxation at (888) 405-4089/4039.
Q – How do I determine my ninth digit?
Refer to the notice you received or your tax return. Commercial Activity Tax account numbers do not have a ninth digit.
Q – How do I change my banking information to debit from a new account?
You must submit an agreement form by either fax or mail. To download the EFT Agreement Form, click here.
Q – Do the tax due dates change for EFT payments?
No. You must comply with the same established due dates that are listed on your tax returns as required by the Ohio Department of Taxation.
Q – Can I make tax payments on the due dates and not be late?
Yes, but only on the Ohio Business Gateway and Telefile - not through the Treasurer's Office EFT.
Q – What do I do if I have overpaid on my accelerated payments?
You must call the Ohio Department of Taxation or you may email them by clicking here.
Q – When is my payment due if the due date is on a weekend or holiday?
The next valid banking day.
Q – Will I be subjected to penalties or interest if I'm late paying my taxes via EFT?
Yes. This can be verified by calling the Ohio Department of Taxation at (888) 405-4089/4039.
Q – How do I get set up to pay my taxes electronically via Treasurer of State ACH or Debit method?
Fill out the EFT Agreement Form. To get this form, call the State Treasurer's Office at (877) EFT-OHIO or click here to download it.
State and Local Government Questions:
Most frequently requested phone numbers:
- Ohio Tuition Trust Authority - (614) 752-9400
- Bureau of Workers Compensation - (614) 466-6679
- Public Employees Retirement System - (614) 466-3401
- State Employees Retirement System - (614) 221-5853
- State Teachers Retirement System - (614) 227-4090
- Police & Fire Pension Fund - (614) 628-8265
Q – How do I contact the Ohio County Treasurers Association or find my local County Treasurer?
They may be reached by calling (614) 233-6818 or by visiting www.ohiocountytreasurers.org.
Q – How can I find the phone number for a state agency?
Call the state operator at (614) 466-2000.
Q – How do I get my driver's license reinstated?
Call the Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Motor Vehicles at (614) 752-7500.
For any other questions, (i.e., stickers for auto tags) call Registration at (614) 752-7800.
Q – Which forms of payment will the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles accept?
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles will accept cash, personal checks, money orders, certified cashier checks, traveler's checks, county agency vouchers, and intra-state agency vouchers.
Q – How do I register my new business name?
Call the Ohio Secretary of State's Corporations Services Division at (614) 466-3910 or (877) SOS-FILE, then press "0" to bypass the automated system, or visit their Business Filings web page by clicking here.
Q – I have not received my child support check. Who should I contact?
All questions and inquiries should be directed to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' Child Support Division at (800) 686-1556 or (614) 752-6561.
Q – I heard that the State of Ohio has money that is unclaimed, (i.e., old bank accounts). Is my name on the list?
Call the Ohio Department of Commerce's Unclaimed Funds Division at (614) 466-4433 or visit their Unclaimed Funds web page by clicking here.
Q – Where do I get a birth certificate or death certificate?
Call the Ohio Department of Health's Division of Vital Statistics at (614) 466-2531 or visit their web site by clicking here.
Q – I have a tax lien question.
Contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office of Revenue Recovery at (614) 466-8360.
Q – If I have a HEAP or THAW question. Whom do I contact?
HEAP Questions: Contact the Ohio Department of Development at (614) 644-6600 or (800) 282-0880.
THAW Questions: Call your local County Job & Family Services Agency. For a directory of County Job & Family Services locations, click here.
State-Owned Property:
Q – Who gathers all of this state-owned property data?
The Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP) Council is the interagency council tasked with collecting data on state-owned property. It is the Ohio Treasurer’s duty to make the information available online on our State Properties page.
Q – What is OGRIP?
The Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program is the authorized Geographic Information System (GIS) coordinating body for the State of Ohio. OGRIP was created in response to the need for coordination in the development and use of digital spatial data.
Although OGRIP has existed since 1989, it was formally established by executive order in 1993, and the General Assembly codified the OGRIP Council in 2008 with HB 420 (127th GA). The state provides an operating budget and an office.
Q – Can I offer input or ideas to help the State inventory its property?
Yes. As a result of the overwhelming response the Ohio Treasury received after releasing its First Interim Report Toward a Comprehensive Inventory of State Real Properties, the Treasury now has a procedure for accepting and reporting feedback about state-owned parcels to the OGRIP Council, the body responsible for amassing Ohio’s digital spatial data, including state-owned property. To give us your input, please click the “Give Us Your Feedback” button on our State Properties page.
Q – How can I learn if the state owns property in my areas?
A tool is available at our State Properties page that allows you to search for state-owned properties by county and land area.
Q – How can I report about state-owned real property in my area?
The Treasury needs to find out if properties are being used and, if not, if they are capable of being used more effectively. You can use the online tool to let us know what you have found out about a particular parcel, or give us your opinion as to the best potential use of the property. We will report that information back to the OGRIP Council.
Q – Where can I learn more about properties in my community?
More information is available from your county auditor’s website, from that office, or from the county recorder’s office. Use the parcel’s identification number (a unique number is given to each property in a county) available on the online tool and use it to search for information on the auditor’s website in the appropriate county. Often, there will be aerial photos of the property to help you determine its exact location as well as a copy of the deed, sales history, and information about improvements.
Q – Why does Ohio need a complete inventory of state-owned properties?
The State has a system for keeping track of people, office supplies, and equipment. Why should it not have a comprehensive inventory of real-property—an expensive and valuable resource? An inventory will let people learn where they can go for public hunting, which agency owns adjacent land that is not being properly maintained and where land might be available for use as a community park or business opportunity.
Q – Why does the state own real estate?
Real property owned by the state is used for offices, garages, conservation and roads among other purposes. Most state-owned property is tax exempt and every piece of property that the state owns should have a specific and distinguishable use. However, not all state-owned property has a purpose and each unused property represents a lost opportunity either for revenue or community expansion for the municipality that the land is on. Properties that are not being cared for by their agency may become overgrown or present a burden to nearby land owners who have trouble seeking recourse from the state.
Tax Questions (if you do not find the answer to your question here, please see the Payments to the Treasury section)
Q – I have questions regarding various penalties on late taxes and other tax matters.
- Income Tax - (614) 433-7705
- Sales Tax - (614) 466-8123
- Personal Property Tax - (614) 466-8123
- Forms Request Line - (800) 282-1782
- Individual Taxpayer Assistance - (800) 282-1780
- Business Taxpayer Assistance - (888) 405-4039
- Income Tax Refund Hotline - (800) 282-1784
- Business Tax Registration - (888) 405-4089
Q – How can I obtain a tax form?
Call the Ohio Department of Taxation Forms Request Line at (800) 282-1782. Or you can download the form from the Ohio Department of Taxation’s form request page by clicking here.
Q – When will I receive my personal income tax refund?
Call the Ohio Department of Taxation's Refund Hotline at (800) 282-1784 or visit the Taxation web site www.tax.ohio.gov and click on "Where's My Refund ".
Q – How can I file my tax returns electronically?
At the Ohio Business Gateway web site at www.business.ohio.gov.
Q – How do I change my business address so the monthly sales tax forms will be delivered to my business?
Contact the Department of Taxation's Registration Office at (888) 405-4089.
Q – I have a vendor's license question.
Please call the Ohio Department of Taxation's Taxpayer Services Division at (888) 405-4089.
Q – How do I get information regarding my school district tax?
Call the Ohio Department of Taxation at (800) 282-1780.
Q – Where can I get IFTA stickers for my truck?
Call the Ohio Department of Taxation's Excise and Motor Fuel Tax Division at (614) 466-3921