IRS Looks to Reunite Refunds, Taxpayers

Missing a tax refund? The Internal Revenue Service is looking for 96,792 individuals -- including 4,765 L.A. County residents -- who are owed $80 million in tax refunds.

Every year, a small percentage of U.S. taxpayers file a return with an illegible return address or move without filing a forwarding address with the U.S. Postal Service.

At the start of the holiday season, the IRS gathers checks that were returned as undeliverable, totals them and takes a stab at reuniting the taxpayers with their money.

“We want to get this money back where it belongs,” said IRS acting Commissioner Bob Wenzel. “As soon as taxpayers get us their correct addresses, we can reissue the checks.”

Californians represent a disproportionate share of the missing money. There are 15,589 Californians who are owed $13.4 million -- about 16% of the missing individuals and nearly 17% of the unclaimed money. The state accounts for a little more than 12% of the U.S. population.

L.A. County accounts for about 5% of the total, said local IRS spokesman Victor Omelczenko. Los Angeles County taxpayers are due refunds ranging from $1 to $53,246, he said.

Taxpayers can use the agency’s Web site to find the status of their refund by clicking on the “Where’s my refund?” button at www.irs.gov. Taxpayers must provide their Social Security number, filing status and exact amount of the expected refund.

The feature won’t be available after Dec. 2 because the IRS will be retooling the site for the 2003 filing season.

Those without Internet access can check the status of a refund by calling the IRS toll-free assistance line at (800) 829-1040.

Taxpayers who are due a refund can get it via mail by providing a new address, or they can have it automatically transferred into their bank account.

To change an address, taxpayers must file Form 8822, which can be downloaded from the IRS Web site or requested through the agency’s tax-form hotline at (800) 829-3676.