The IRS is looking for 4,101 Los Angeles County taxpayers whose income tax refund checks, totaling $3,751,601, could not be delivered in 2005. Nationwide, 84,290 taxpayers with more than $73 million in undelivered checks can have checks reissued as soon as they correct or update their addresses with the IRS.
“Our goal is to get this money back in the hands of the people it belongs to,” IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said. “Visiting IRS.gov makes it easy for taxpayers to see if they’ve missed a refund.”
The “Where’s My Refund?” feature on the IRS.gov Web site provides taxpayers with information about their refunds. To use it, taxpayers log onto www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=965 96,00.html. Then they enter their Social Security number, filing status — such as single or married filing jointly — and the refund amount shown on their 2004 tax return. When the information is submitted online, “Where’s My Refund?” will show the status of a refund and, in some cases, provide instructions to resolve potential account issues.
“In Los Angeles County, the undelivered checks range in value from $1 to $60,666,” said Victor Omelczenko, IRS spokesman in Los Angeles. “California has 14,012 taxpayers with undelivered checks worth over $12 million waiting for them.”
In the case of Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Katrina — an estimated 11,000 evacuees are now in California — the IRS will expedite research into the status of undelivered payments and issue a refund check when the original is outstanding. The IRS advises hurricane victims who had been expecting a refund check but did not receive one to contact the IRS on the special toll-free Katrina disaster line at (866) 562-5227.
Generally, refund checks go astray for a variety of reasons. Often, a life change results in a change of address. When a taxpayer moves or changes address and fails to notify the IRS or the U.S. Postal Service, a check sent to the taxpayer’s last known address is returned to the IRS.
Taxpayers who have moved since filing their last tax return can ensure the IRS has their correct address by filing Form 8822, Change of Address, with the IRS. The form is available at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8822.pdf. Download the form or request it by calling (800) TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
Those who do not have access to the Internet and think they may be missing a refund should first check their records or contact their tax preparer, then call the IRS toll-free assistance line at (800) 829- 1040 to update their address.
Here is the list of sm residents who have checks waiting for them: assur, arielle garrett, bernard r gomes, shanda l hall, maggie a hall, mikka r hartman, steven j hirsch, ian jacklin, erin g johnson, darrell s lopez lira, fernando osborne, monette peterson, suzanne m poller, daniel a rogge, mark o tamkin, curtis s & priscilla trotter, melaina adelson, lexi rose babajooni, shahrokh & j nassirzadeh khan, mohamad s & anwar b matuszak, eric j & tricia y shea, amy c haacke, ulrich & jarmila seflova hronek, ivan & barbara hronkova kim, ki tae & sun young reaney, gilbert albright, luke t batan, mervet bautista, juan b & patricia suarez brown, abraham a & carrie l burton, dayle g coonce, sean t flores, gabriel s goodling, rob & gigi kessler, jennifer millett, julie w & david e palivos, barbara m perez, jose a sanchez, rodrigo ware, melvin zahedi, shahrooz boihem, harold l iii castro, mario a jr grass, laura hannon, daniel p hendler, cara holt, karga prentiss, elizabeth b price, casey k quezada, alma d stovicek, miroslav & b stovickova walus, robert v caugy, chantal walker, raymond arias, felipe
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 26, 2005. Read the original PDF.