The I.R.S. says it has nearly eight-million dollars in refunds that’s owed to some 98-hundred Iowans who didn’t file federal tax returns in 2009. I.R.S. spokesman Christopher Miller says it’s usually people who didn’t make enough money to be required to file a return, like college students.
“What people in that situation often don’t realize is, even though they didn’t make a lot of money, they still had taxes withheld and they may be eligible for credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit,” Miller says. “So, if you don’t file a tax return, you don’t get that money back.”
Miller says there’s a three-year window for old tax refunds and for tax year 2009, it expires on April 15th. “If a person does not claim a refund that’s due to them in the three-year statute of limitations, then that money goes back into the treasury,” he says.
Half of the potential refunds for 2009 are worth more than $500. “There’s a three-year window to get old tax refunds and for calendar year 2009 tax returns, that window expires this April 15th, Tax Day,” Miller says. “So, if you haven’t filed a tax return in the past few years, you may have money waiting for you.”
Nationally, just over $917-million is set aside for the 984,000 taxpayers who did not file a federal income tax return for 2009. Learn more at www.irs.gov.