Question: Regarding the state ID, what if we are eligible for a gold star but won’t be here when it’s time to renew?
Answer: You can renew your Hawaii ID up to six months ahead of the expiration date, and keep the same expiration date plus eight years — renewing “early” won’t shorten the duration of the credential. If that option doesn’t work for you, rest assured that you have up to a year past the expiration date to renew — anything beyond 365 days and you’ll be treated as a new applicant. State IDs must be renewed in person, except for applicants 80 years and older whose REAL ID (gold star) documentation is already on file; they may renew by mail. If you fall into that category, keep in mind that your renewed ID card will not be mailed out of state; it will be sent to your Hawaii address and won’t be forwarded, according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services. For more information about all this, go to www8.honolulu.gov/csd/state-id/ Opens in a new tab. All in all, plan ahead so that you will have a valid ID on your trip, whether it’s your state ID or some other government- issued identification.
Q: Your article regarding Marilyn Gilbert does not indicate where donated items should be dropped off. Please advise.
A: As Thursday’s column said, potential donors should contact Marilyn Gilbert by email, at gil.aloha@hawaiiantel.net. She prefers email as the initial contact so that she can discuss what the person wants to donate and arrange delivery if the items are suitable for the Operation Christmas shoe boxes she works on all year.
Q: I got summoned a total of six times this year for jury duty. Is this normal? One of the cases was a federal case that went through and I served a total of six days which took me away from work and it was a lot. The rest of the cases were state and civil cases that were settled before the scheduled date. But why do I keep getting summoned especially if I already served?
A: The state and federal jury pools are separate. As for the five state cases (criminal and civil), your name kept getting put back in the pool of potential jurors because none of those five cases went to trial and you were not called to serve. Availability for state jury service is one calendar year, so you shouldn’t be summoned next year.
Q: When will the IRS resume processing the ERC?
A: The moratorium on processing Employee Retention Credit claims filed Sept. 14, 2023, or later will persist through at least the end of this year, according to the IRS, which says the pause is needed to stem a flood of fraudulent claims. The ERC, also known as the Employee Retention Tax Credit, or ERTC, is a refundable tax credit meant for “businesses that continued paying employees during the COVID-19 pandemic while their business operations were fully or partially suspended due to a government order or they had a significant decline in gross receipts during the eligibility periods,” the IRS says on its website. Rampant fraud inspired the agency to set up a claim-withdrawal process for business owners “who were pressured or misled by ERC marketers or promoters into filing ineligible claims. Claims that are withdrawn will be treated as if they were never filed. The IRS will not impose penalties or interest.” For details, see irs.gov/coronavirus/employee-retention-credit Opens in a new tab.
Q: Will George Santos get a pension? Also, how did Hawaii’s representatives vote?
A: No, eligibility for a congressional pension requires at least five years of service. Santos, a New York Republican, was expelled from the U.S. House on Friday after 11 months in office.
Ed Case and Jill Tokuda were among 206 House Democrats who voted to expel Santos, as did 105 Republicans, according to the U.S. House of Representatives’ website.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
