The waits for Illinois tax returns continue to be longer than last year and state budget woes aren't the reason.

Illinois Department of Revenue spokesman Terry Horstman says trying to thwart ID thieves has cut into IDOR's turnaround time.

[audio:3231562822-returns0.mp3] [/audio]

Horstman says with the growing trend of ID theft involved tax fraud, the department is taking a better safe than sorry approach.

[audio:3231562824-returns1.mp3] [/audio]

Wait times for a typical electronic return have reached two to three weeks.