IRS has thousands in unclaimed Iowa refunds

Most of us would notice if someone failed to send us a check for 700-dollars, right? The Internal Revenue Service says hundreds of Iowans are due tax refund checks but those checks have all been returned by the post office. I-R-S spokeswoman Donna Migazzi says the agency is still trying to reach those folks who are due a big pile of money — some 300-thousand dollars total. More than 400 Iowans filed a 2003 tax return and were due refunds but the checks were returned to the I-R-S as undeliverable. The checks range from as little as one-dollar to as much as 30-thousand dollars and average around 706-dollars. Migazzi says Iowans who aren’t sure if they ever got their refund checks need to check it out. Go to the “irs-dot-gov” website, enter your Social Security number and some other data in the “Where’s My Refund” section and the program will help you determine what the problem is and help to correct it. Migazzi says you’d think most folks would keep track of their money better, especially when it involves hundreds of dollars — but she adds, distractions have a way of coming up. Migazzi says it’s sometimes a catastrophic event in someone’s life — from a death in the family to a natural disaster like a flood or a fire — that pushes their tax refund check to the back of their minds. For more information, call the I-R-S at 800-TAX-1040.