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IRS trying to find owners of stimulus checks
October 29, 2008 at 11:56 am
By RYAN HORNS
The United States Internal Revenue Service has money waiting for more than a dozen people in Union County.
The IRS is looking for Ohio and West Virginia taxpayers who are missing more than 7,700 economic stimulus checks totaling about $4.2 million and more than 2,600 regular refund checks totaling about $2.02 million.
“Their tax refund or stimulus payment was sent to them, and due to a mailing address error, it was returned to us,” IRS Ohio and West Virginia media relations representative Eric Erickson said. “Many Ohioans and West Virginians are missing their refunds or rebates checks and we want to make sure we can get their money into their hands. The process for updating an address in order to receive their money is quite simple. In fact, all a taxpayer has to do is update their address once and we’ll send all checks due to that taxpayer.”
In Union County a total of $8,926 in government stimulus checks are waiting, he said.
Listed among those owed are:
•Gaumer, Elizabeth H. of Marysville
•Hamilton, Shaun L. of Marysville
•Harmon, Misty L. of Magnetic Springs
•Hill, Robert L. Jr. of Marysville
•House, John of Marysville
•Lee, Leo Lutrelle and Kathryn E. of Marysville
•Lookabaugh, Carolann of Richwood
•Mackey, Floyd P and Margaret J. of Marysville
•Mahata, Sukha Ranjan of Marysville
•Miller, Daniel G. of Marysville
•Purdy, Larissa of Marysville
•Skinner, Glen of Richwood
•Thoburn, Jason D. of Marysville
•Vance, James A. Jr. of Marysville
•Williamson, Brandon A. and Victoria Y. of Richwood
•Woodruff, Shannon J. of Marysville
Regarding stimulus checks owed, Erickson said it is crucial that taxpayers update their addresses with the IRS by Nov. 28. By law, economic stimulus checks must be sent out by Dec. 31 of this year. The average amount of undelivered economic stimulus checks is $538 for West Virginia and $554 for Ohio.
Erickson said regular refund checks that were returned to the IRS average $763 for West Virginia taxpayers and $779 for Ohio taxpayers. These checks are re-sent as soon as taxpayers update their address.
In both instances, he said the “Where’s My Stimulus Payment?" or “Where’s My Refund?” 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 for information on stimulus checks or 1-800-829-1954 for refund information.
Erickson said the vast majority of checks mailed out by the IRS reach their rightful owner every year. 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 or about one-quarter of one percent. Meanwhile, the IRS has distributed more than 105 million regular refunds this year with only about 104,000 being undeliverable or one-tenth of one percent. The IRS also encourages taxpayers to file their tax returns electronically because e-file eliminates the risk of lost paper returns. E-file also reduces errors and speeds up refunds
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