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The Internal Revenue Service is looking to spread some early holiday cheer to 50 Nevada County taxpayers due to receive nearly $25,000, in the form of refund checks worth an average of $505. The checks were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors, said spokesman Jesse Weller.
Nationwide, the IRS reported 107,831 refund checks were returned as undeliverable, amounting to $123.5 million.
“We want to get this money to taxpayers as fast as possible, and all we need is a good address,” Weller said. “We'd rather have the money go out now because it's just sitting there. We want you to have the money so you can spend it, or do whatever you want with it.”
The majority of checks returned as undeliverable are due to taxpayers having moved, Weller said.
“We do make more than one attempt after a refund is returned as undeliverable,” he said. “A search is done through the tax return — that's all the information we have to go on. A notice does go out telling the taxpayer what has occurred, but that may go to the same address. If it's a bad address, they don't get the follow-up letter, either.”
When a refund is returned, the IRS compares the address on the tax return with the address on the returned refund. If the return shows a different address, a refund might be reissued immediately. If IRS does not find a different address on the return, the address is compared to information on attachments to the tax returns, such as a Form W-2 or Form 1099, and information in other IRS databases relating to that taxpayer.
The next step was alerting the media, Weller said.
“We don't have the manpower to make 107,000 phone calls,” he said.
In fact, 10 of the 19 western Nevada County taxpayers on the IRS list were quickly located using the phone book. The other 31 residents were listed with Truckee and Norden addresses.
Ron and Julie Carrara of Grass Valley are on the list, but said they received their refund check two weeks ago.
Marianne Westerberg of Penn Valley said she had not yet received her check — but neither had her son or her boyfriend, who were not on the list.
She added that she has lived in the same location for 11 years.
Average undeliverable refunds rose by 16 percent this year, the IRS reported. It tied the jump to the 16 percent rise in average refunds for all tax returns in the latest filing season due to the First-Time Homebuyer's Credit and the Recovery Rebate Credit, among other changes in the tax law.
“The sooner you update your address, the quicker you can get your refund,” Weller said.
Taxpayers can update their address by going to the IRS.gov Web site and clicking on the “Where's My Refund?” tool. The taxpayer must submit his or her Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 return. The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.
Taxpayers also can call (800) 829-1954.
“The good news is, the money does not expire,” Weller said. “It posts back to their account, the credit goes to the account and the money will be refunded automatically.”
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
Nationwide, the IRS reported 107,831 refund checks were returned as undeliverable, amounting to $123.5 million.
“We want to get this money to taxpayers as fast as possible, and all we need is a good address,” Weller said. “We'd rather have the money go out now because it's just sitting there. We want you to have the money so you can spend it, or do whatever you want with it.”
The majority of checks returned as undeliverable are due to taxpayers having moved, Weller said.
“We do make more than one attempt after a refund is returned as undeliverable,” he said. “A search is done through the tax return — that's all the information we have to go on. A notice does go out telling the taxpayer what has occurred, but that may go to the same address. If it's a bad address, they don't get the follow-up letter, either.”
When a refund is returned, the IRS compares the address on the tax return with the address on the returned refund. If the return shows a different address, a refund might be reissued immediately. If IRS does not find a different address on the return, the address is compared to information on attachments to the tax returns, such as a Form W-2 or Form 1099, and information in other IRS databases relating to that taxpayer.
The next step was alerting the media, Weller said.
“We don't have the manpower to make 107,000 phone calls,” he said.
In fact, 10 of the 19 western Nevada County taxpayers on the IRS list were quickly located using the phone book. The other 31 residents were listed with Truckee and Norden addresses.
Ron and Julie Carrara of Grass Valley are on the list, but said they received their refund check two weeks ago.
Marianne Westerberg of Penn Valley said she had not yet received her check — but neither had her son or her boyfriend, who were not on the list.
She added that she has lived in the same location for 11 years.
Average undeliverable refunds rose by 16 percent this year, the IRS reported. It tied the jump to the 16 percent rise in average refunds for all tax returns in the latest filing season due to the First-Time Homebuyer's Credit and the Recovery Rebate Credit, among other changes in the tax law.
“The sooner you update your address, the quicker you can get your refund,” Weller said.
Taxpayers can update their address by going to the IRS.gov Web site and clicking on the “Where's My Refund?” tool. The taxpayer must submit his or her Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 return. The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.
Taxpayers also can call (800) 829-1954.
“The good news is, the money does not expire,” Weller said. “It posts back to their account, the credit goes to the account and the money will be refunded automatically.”
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
