The Internal Revenue Service is looking for hundreds of area residents. It has millions of dollars in unclaimed money for Texans and the IRS is looking to give those taxpayers their due.
Statewide, more than 30,700 economic stimulus checks totaling more than $19 million and more than 9,000 regular refund checks totaling more than $8 million that were returned by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.
“Just a simple address update will allow the IRS to get this money into the hands of its owners,” said IRS spokesperson Lea Crusberg.
Nationwide, more than 279,000 economic stimulus checks totaling about $163 million and more than 104,000 regular refund checks totaling about $103 million were returned to the IRS.
In Pasadena, 278 checks were returned to the IRS. In Deer Park, 10 people are still without their checks while South Houston has 23 and La Porte has 38 according to information provided by the IRS.
Time is running out to get stimulus checks, however.
By law, economic stimulus checks must be sent out by Dec. 31 of this year so the IRS is asking residents who have not received their checks to update their addresses no later than Nov. 28. The undeliverable economic stimulus checks average $583.
The “Where’s My Stimulus Payment?” tool on IRS.gov is the quickest and easiest way for a taxpayer to check the status of a stimulus check and receive instructions on how to update his or her address. Taxpayers without Internet access should call 1-866-234-2942.
Regular refund checks that were returned to the IRS from Texas average $897.
Taxpayers can update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. It 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 2007 return.
Taxpayers checking on a refund over the phone will be given instructions on how to update their addresses. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.
Only a very small percent are returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.
Through September, the government distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments with only about 279,000 checks being undeliverable. Meanwhile, the IRS has distributed more than 105 million regular refunds this year with only about 104,000 being undeliverable.
Missing money
To see if your name is on the list of those the IRS is looking for, go to www.thepasadenacitizen.com and click on the “IRS money” link. A list of Pasadena, Deer Park, South Houston and La Porte residents is available.
For more information, visit the Internal Revenue Service site at www.irs.gov.