IRS owes refunds to 969 in state

Cara Baruzzi

Nov. 6, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- The Internal Revenue Service is trying to track down 969 Connecticut taxpayers who are owed a collective $1.2 million in undelivered tax refunds.

The IRS Thursday released its annual list of taxpayers who are owed refunds. Undeliverable refund checks are returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service because of mailing address errors.

The IRS can reissue the checks once taxpayers correct or update their contact information.

"Taxpayers should not miss out on getting their money back," Gregg Semanick, the IRS spokesman for Connecticut, said in a statement. "The IRS makes it easy for taxpayers to update their addresses and claim their refunds."

The vast majority of tax refunds reach their rightful owners, according to the IRS, but each year some are undeliverable.

Nationwide, there are 107,831 people -- owed a total of roughly $123.5 million -- the IRS is trying to reach.

This year, undelivered refund checks average $1,148, a 16 percent increase over last year's average of $990.

The IRS attributes the boost in refund amounts to several changes in tax law, including the federal tax credit for firsttime homebuyers and the Recovery Rebate Credit.

To update their address information, taxpayers can visit the "Where's My Refund?" section at the IRS Web site, www.irs.gov.

The site lets visitors check the status of their refunds. Taxpayers must submit their Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 returns. The site will provide the status of refunds and, in some cases, give instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.

Taxpayers can access the same information by calling (800) 829-1954.

"Don't delay if you think you are missing a refund," Semanick said. "The sooner you update your address information, the quicker you can get your refund."

To avoid future delivery problems, the IRS urges taxpayers to have their refunds deposited directly into their bank accounts. The IRS can deposit refunds into personal checking or savings accounts.

The agency also encourages people to file returns electronically, since that eliminates the risk of paper returns getting lost, which can delay refunds.

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Newstex ID: KRTB-0141-39513166