$3.8 million awaits taxpayers
Even as the Internal Revenue Service gears up for the upcoming tax, it's still trying to deliver millions of dollars in refunds due taxpayers in Yuma County and across the state and nation.
The IRS has 116 refund checks worth a total of $112,600 for Yuma County taxpayers that were returned by the U.S. Post Office due to mailing address errors. The average refund was $971.
Across the state, 3,237 refund checks worth $3.8 million for Arizona taxpayers were undeliverable.
Nationwide, a total of 107.8 million refund checks worth a combined $123.5 million are waiting for taxpayers to claim them.
“We are eager to get this money into the hands of taxpayers, so don’t delay if you think you are missing a refund,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “The sooner you update your address information, the quicker you can get your refund.”
All a taxpayer has to do is update his or her address. The IRS will then send out all checks due. Undeliverable refund checks average $1,178 per Arizonan this year, compared to $1,023 last year. Some taxpayers are due more than one check.
Average undeliverable refunds rose by 16 percent this year, which is in line with the 16 percent rise in average refunds for all tax returns in the latest filing season, the IRS stated in a news release. Several changes in tax law likely played a role in boosting refunds, including the First-Time Homebuyers Credit and the Recovery Rebate Credit, among others.
Most checks mailed out by the IRS each year reach their rightful owners. Only a very small percent are returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.
If a refund check is returned to the IRS as undeliverable, taxpayers can generally update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. The tool enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds.
A taxpayer must submit his or her Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 return. The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.
Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to choose direct deposit when they file their returns because it puts an end to lost, stolen or undeliverable checks. Taxpayers can receive refunds directly into their personal checking or savings accounts. Direct deposit is available for filers of both paper and electronic returns.
The IRS also encourages taxpayers to file their tax returns electronically to eliminate the risk of lost paper returns. E-file also reduces errors on tax returns and speeds up refunds.
