IRS Seeks To Give Money to The Taxpayer.
Throughout the United States there is money to be given away by the IRS. Yes, you read that right, the IRS is giving away money. Actually it is trying to return money to people that have not received their tax refund. IRS refund checks go unclaimed for many reasons. Sometimes, as in the case of hurricane victims, people face a significant change in their normal lives.
Nationally, there are 84,290 taxpayers with undeliverable refunds, totaling approximately $73 million with an average refund of $871. Here is a breakdown for some states:
The Internal Revenue Service says there is more than $789,000 in undelivered tax refunds in Indiana. The average amount owed to each taxpayer is more than $600. One refund is more than $30,000. In East Central Indiana almost $43,000 is left unclaimed.
Based on numbers released by the Internal Revenue Service for Utah, 1,011 Utahns have about $920,000 in tax refunds due to them, with the average refund amount being $909.
In Florida the IRS is looking for 174 individual taxpayers on the Treasure Coast so that the agency can deliver their unclaimed income tax refund checks from 2004.
Some 2,546 Georgia taxpayers owed a combined $2.5 million have not picked up their 2005 refunds. The average check is $964. In some cases, there is more than one check waiting. Each year, the IRS sends out its list of undelivered refunds hoping it will jar the memories or initiative of taxpayers to pick up their money. This year, however, the IRS says it’s more urgent to get money back in the hands of taxpayers because many are Hurricane Katrina victims who have fled the Gulf Coast and relocated to metro Atlanta. Nearly 2,000 taxpayers on the list are from Louisiana and Mississippi the IRS said.
The IRS is trying to contact 2,131 Ohio taxpayers who have not claimed refund checks due them. We’re talking an average refund of $637. One Buckeye State taxpayer is due all of $50,000 and hasn’t bothered to pursue the matter so far,the IRS said.
More than $1 million of Maryland taxpayer money is still waiting to be claimed, said officials from the Internal Revenue Service. About 1,483 Maryland taxpayers have yet to receive their 2004 tax refund checks, which average about $783, said Jim Dupree, spokesman for the IRS’ Baltimore office.
In Florida, approximately $8.3 million awaits 6,981 taxpayers who simply need to correct or update their addresses. The state’s average refund amount is $1,194, the IRS said.
Checks totaling approximately $73 million can be reissued as soon as taxpayers correct or update their addresses with the Internal Revenue Service. In some cases, a taxpayer has more than one check waiting, the IRS said this week. The average amount owed to each taxpayer is $871.
Electronic filing, which deposits refunds into a taxpayer’s account, has helped reduce the number of unclaimed tax returns. Another feature is the “Where’s My Refund� link on the IRS Web site as well as Cash Unclaimed Money Search.
Taxpayers who filed claims can wait as long as they want to get their money, IRS spokesman Eric Erickson said. “This money will never go away,� he said. “Obviously, we want them to claim their money as soon as possible, but should they wait a few years, it will still be there for them.�
It’s a different story for procrastinators who know they are owed a 2005 refund, but still have not filled out their tax forms. They have three years from the April 15 deadline to file — or say goodbye to the money.
