Georgia Sits on Millions in Unclaimed Tax Refunds
The idea of having an unclaimed tax refund seems taboo. Georgia has been facing the problem of unclaimed funds and one of the major sources of unclaimed funds is the unclaimed tax refunds.
The Internal Revenue Service has more than $35 million in unclaimed refunds for Georgia residents who did not file a 2007 tax return. 2007 was one of the largest unclaimed tax refund years and the state authorities and IRS officials are still grappling with the overflow of unclaimed tax refunds that now sits in the coffers of the state treasuries, waiting to be claimed by the actual owners. As far as the year 2007 unclaimed tax refunds are concerned, the IRS estimates half of the potential 2007 refunds in Georgia are for $590 or more.
In a similar trend to the year 2007, the next three years have also witnessed a relentless additions of funds related to the unclaimed tax refunds. Some people may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments, the IRS said.
“In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund,” said IRS Spokesman Mark Green. “If no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.”
Individuals within the Atlanta-metro area can claim their refund by calling 1-877-423- 6711. Individuals calling from outside the metro area but within Georgia can call 1-877-GADOR11 (1-877-423-6711)
Individuals calling from outside the state can call 1-877-GADOR11 (1-877-423-6711). To claim an undelivered refund, a taxpayer must provide their social security number and the complete address to which the check should have been mailed. In the case of joint returns, the Department will require the social security number of the taxpayer first named on the return.
According to the IRS unclaimed tax refunds laws, refunds become void if not claimed within 3 years after the due date of the return. With the addition of unclaimed tax refunds coming in every year, the pile of unclaimed IRS money is taking a big toll on the administrative machinery of Georgia State treasury.
