IRS Says Thousands In Ga. Owed Unclaimed Refunds From 2013

The Internal Revenue Service said that in Georgia, over $32 million in unclaimed tax refunds is waiting for 34,400 taxpayers who did not file a 2013 federal income tax return.

However, the IRS said that to collect the money, a return for 2013 must be filed with the IRS no later than this year’s tax deadline, which is Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

IRS Spokesman Mark Green said that taxpayers should review their 2013 statements for refundable credits and withholdings.

The agency estimated that the median unclaimed refund for tax-year 2013 in Georgia is $671.

Green said that in cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund.

However, he said that if no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

Green went on to say that there is no penalty for filing a late return qualifying for a refund, but taxpayers seeking a 2013 refund may have their checks held if they have not filed tax returns for 2014 and 2015.

Also, he said the refund will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS, or a state tax agency, and may be used to offset unpaid child support or past due federal debts, such as student loans.
According to Green, some people may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments.
Current and prior year tax forms and instructions are available at www.irs.gov or by calling 800-829-3676 … 800-TAX-FORM.