Michigan Sets a Date for Drivers to Get $400 Refund Checks

Michigan drivers across the state are waiting patiently for their $400 rebate checks, and now, the state has announced the deadline by which drivers will receive the checks. The refund checks will be given to drivers who had their vehicles insured by Oct. 31, 2021, with very few exceptions. Read on for the full details.

The refund is a segment of of bipartisan auto reform legislation, which passed in 2019, that makes the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) issue funds back to drivers.

So, when will the checks arrive? Michigan's auto insurance refund check will arrive by May 9, according to the state's department of financial services. Refunds will be transferred from the MCCA to insurers by March 9, and then, deposits in bank accounts will take up to 60 days.

"The Governor directed DIFS to take an active role in ensuring that refunds would be issued expeditiously to Michiganders who have paid into the fund for decades," Anita Fox, head of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services, said in a statement. "The DIFS bulletin ensures that consumers are protected and imposes a May 9, 2022 deadline for issuing refunds to all eligible drivers."

As for who qualifies, any Michigan driver who insured their vehicle (car, truck, RV or motorcycle) by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2021, is eligible to get a refund. The $400 refund is per vehicle, so if you have two vehicles under the same insurance plan, you'll get $800. If you have questions, DIFS has launched a FAQ site for drivers to read. Any Michigan drivers that are eligible to get a refund but don't receive a check by the May 9 date are asked to contact their insurance company with questions and to see what went wrong. They may also reach out to the insurance department, which is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., via 833-ASK-DIFS (833-275-3437) or emailing autoinsurance@michigan.gov.

If you're curious which cities in Michigan have residents with the highest median household income, we have the list for you. It's surprising how much median household income differs from one city to the next. For example, the highest median household income in Michigan is $108,432.33, and the lowest is $11,667. I guess that just goes to show how diverse Michigan is demographically and how some areas of the state have a higher cost of living.

The crew at Zip Atlas has published an updated list of those median household incomes using a variety of data. The site offers a "structured collection of zip code, area code, city and state demographic, social and economic profiles," according to their official website. They add, "Here you will find employment and unemployment rates, industry statistics, household and personal income reports, property value assessment, housing unit occupancy and vacancy breakdown, mortgage and rent analysis, age, gender, ancestry and racial profiles, education attainment levels and school enrolment among many others." In other words, they've complied a range of data in different areas in one locale, including what Michiganders across the state are bringing home in their paychecks.

According to the Zip Atlas study, none of the top 10 cities in the U.S. with the highest median household income are located in Michigan. No. 1 is Short hills, New Jersey, at $185,466, followed by Purchase, New York and Villa Maria, Pennsylvania. In fact, Michigan doesn't even have one city in the top 100 cities in the U.S. That said, Michigan does have some cities that fall inside the top 200 and 300 cities with the highest tally.

So, which Michigan cities have the highest median household incomes? View the list of cities below all the way up to No. 1, and see if your city made the cut. For more information, visit the Zip Atlas website here.

$65,308.00

$65,667.00

$65,688.00

$66,224.00

$66,500.00

$66,667.00

$66,802.00

$66,875.00

$66,940.00

$66,979.33

$67,360.00

$67,463.00

$67,593.00

$67,670.50

$67,875.00

$68,465.50

$68,783.00

$69,180.00

$70,133.00

$70,282.00

$70,527.33

$71,964.00

$72,828.50

$72,983.00

$73,051.00

$73,230.50

$74,069.50

$74,280.50

$74,377.00

$74,932.00

$75,452.00

$75,671.50

$75,680.33

$76,491.00

$77,274.00

$78,982.00

$79,262.00

$79,579.00

$80,555.00

$81,108.00

$81,864.00

$82,886.00

$83,585.33

$83,902.00

$87,062.00

$87,507.00

$89,508.00

$93,950.67

$97,437.00

$108,432.33