More than 300,000 seek Indiana BMV refunds

More than 300,000 drivers have applied for refunds from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles since the agency agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing it of overcharging for driver's licenses.

The website to file for those checks went live Dec. 15, and since then at least 304,000 people have made a refund request, BMV spokesman Josh Gillespie said.

A Marion County judge in November approved a $30 million settlement of the lawsuit, which claimed that drivers under age 75 were charged more for each license than allowed by state law since 2007. The settlement makes more than 4.5 million Indiana drivers eligible for refunds of $3.50 to $15 each.

The credits still exist on motorists' accounts even if they don't apply for a check from the agency, Gillespie told the Evansville Courier & Press.

Those credits can be used for any BMV financial transaction either in-person at a branch or online.

"Everyone still has the credit to their name," Gillespie said. "Whether they apply for a check or not, they still have a credit on their [BMV] account."

The state has 45 days from the time a motorist applies for a check to issue the refund, Gillespie said.

BMV's website will accept refund requests for three years. If a motorist has not collected a refund check or used the credit by the end of those three years, the state will mail a check to that person, Gillespie said.