Sent my application in last Mon for arrival Tue. Received approval Friday (3/16)! Check may take a little while. From approval email: "Rebate checks are issued in order applications were approved and will be made within sixty (60) days of application approval."
Hmm... I mailed in my application with the supporting documents on Monday March 5. I got the certified mail delivery confirmation but I haven't received any e-mail about the application being approved.
I e-mailed them just now, and they confirmed that my application had been approved, and said that their e-mail approval message must have gone astray.
I'm surprised a government organization moved so quickly! Got an approval email two days after sending my application. Shockingly fast.
That is because although the program is funded by the state, it is administered by the non-profit organization California Center for Sustainable Energy, not by the government. Although that organization known for its bureaucratic inefficiency, the DMV, is turning the HOV decal applications in about 10 days (mailing of application to receipt of decals).
The email approval came right after I filed the application online. Along with the approval were the instructions to send in the documentation and signed copy of the application within fourteen days by certified mail. Haven't heard anything since then, except for the signed receipt for delivery.
I replied yesterday to that initial message after I didn't hear anything for two weeks after mailing the documentation (other than the delivery receipt from the post office). I got back a response within an hour or so with a copy of the approval message, saying that I should have received the APPROVED: Clean Vehicle Rebate Project message last week, which I didn't. So you might try replying to the message you received and ask if everything is in order. With two of us not getting the approval e-mail, there may be some glitch in either their e-mail system or ours (like false spam filtering).
I spoke with Amy at the office in San Diego, and she confirmed that my application was approved. She is sending the email again. So the other emails I received were just regarding accepting of the application rather than approval. I stand corrected.
The Federal Tax Credit will be for the current tax year, so you won't apply for it until you file your 2012 tax returns in early 2013. It is a credit, which comes off the taxes you owe, so you need to have a tax liability of at least $2500 to claim the whole thing. The CARB program OTOH, is for a rebate, rather than a tax credit or deduction. Consult your tax professional.
