Could you be in for an even happier Thanksgiving? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has undelivered income tax refund checks totaling $164.6 million for 111,893 taxpayers who failed to give the IRS a correct and current mailing address.
Undelivered refund checks average $1,471 this year, compared to $1,148 last year; and some taxpayers have more than one check waiting for them.
According to the IRS, all taxpayers need to do to get an undelivered refund check is update their address with the IRS. In most cases, taxpayers can update their addresses with the "Where's My Refund?" tool on IRS.gov. Taxpayers can also use "Where's My Refund?" 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 2009 return. The "Where's My Refund?" tool will provide the status of their refund and, in some cases, instructions on how to resolve delivery problems."
Taxpayers can also use a telephone version of "Where's My Refund?" by calling 1-800-829-1954.
Use Direct Deposit: The IRS recommends that all taxpayers choose to use direct deposit when they file either paper or electronic tax returns. "Taxpayers can receive refunds directly into their bank, split a tax refund into two or three financial accounts or even buy a savings bond," notes the IRS.
No Email from the IRS: Remember that the IRS will never contact a taxpayer by email to inform him or her of undelivered or pending refund checks. Such messages are common identity theft scams. The IRS urges taxpayers not to release any personal information, reply, open any attachments or click on any links to avoid malicious code that will infect their computers. The best way for an individual to verify if she or he has a pending refund is going directly to IRS.gov and using the "Where's My Refund?" tool.
Also See:
Sales Taxes on Gifts Purchased Online?
States with No Income Tax
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