Published: November 08, 2009 05:55 pm      

State looking for refund recipients

MT. VERNON — The Internal Revenue Service is looking for nearly 3,600 Illinois taxpayers, which includes a handful of Jefferson County residents, who are due refund checks worth more than $3.6 million. The checks were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.

The IRS is looking for Clarence A. Wallace, Ronald D. Harrison, Marcello Bartolotta, all last listed with Mt. Vernon addresses, and Charles E. and Susan K. Tuggle of Belle Rive, according to Sue Hales, IRS spokesperson for Illinois.

“In Illinois, the average undeliverable refund is $1,023,” said Hales. “We’d like to get this money back to taxpayers as quickly as possible. All we need is an updated address and we can reissue the check.”

Hales said refund checks go astray for reasons that vary with each taxpayer. Many times it’s because a life change — such as a marriage or divorce — causes an address change. If a taxpayer moves and does not notify the IRS or the U.S. Postal Service, a check sent to their last known address is returned to the IRS.

Nationwide, 107,831 refunds totaling $123.5 million were returned to the IRS. Undeliverable refund checks average $1,148 this year, compared to $990 last year. Some taxpayers are due more than one check, according to Hales.

Average undeliverable refunds rose by 16 percent this year. Several changes in tax law likely played a role in boosting refunds, including the First-Time Homebuyer’s Credit and the Recovery Rebate Credit.

Should taxpayers move, they can ensure the IRS has their correct address by filing Form 8822, Change of Address, with the IRS. The form is available on the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov or by calling 1-800-829-3676.

Taxpayers can find out if they are due a tax refund by visiting the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov and clicking on “Where’s My Refund.” To use this feature, enter information from the 2008 tax return including the Social Security number, filing status and refund amount. Taxpayers will get the status of their refund check and in some cases get instructions to resolve delivery problems.

Taxpayers can also check on the status of their refund by calling (800) 829-1954. Taxpayers checking on a refund by phone will be given instructions on how to update their address.

Hales said taxpayers can avoid undeliverable tax refunds by choosing to have their refunds deposited directly into a bank account. Direct deposit guards against undelivered, lost or stolen refund checks. It’s available for both paper and e-filed returns.