December 19, 2011

Manchin, Rockefeller, Rahall Encourage West Virginians to Check for Unclaimed Tax Refunds

Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, along with Representative Nick Rahall (all D-W.Va.) today encouraged West Virginians to check whether they are among the nearly 100,000 Americans who have not claimed $153.3 million in tax refunds. 

“Especially when so many families are struggling to make ends meet, I strongly encourage all West Virginians to take a look at their records to see if they can collect any tax refunds from the IRS,” Senator Manchin said. “Please make sure that you’re not one of the thousands of Americans missing a refund that you deserve.”

“Particularly during these tough times, every dollar counts and I want to make sure that each West Virginian who should have received a tax refund gets the money they deserve,” said Senator Rockefeller.  “Please check with the IRS so that, if you didn’t receive the refund before, you can get that money which could help pay bills, put food on the table, or get a child a Christmas present.”

“Nearly 100,000 American are owed refunds by the IRS, averaging $1,500, and I encourage West Virginians to check their records to be sure they have received the monies they are owed,” said U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV).

The Internal Revenue Service is trying to return $153.3 million in undelivered tax refund checks. In all, 99,123 taxpayers are due refund checks that could not be delivered because of mailing address errors. Undelivered refund checks average $1,547 this year.

Taxpayers can receive refunds directly into their bank account, split a tax refund into two or three financial accounts or buy a savings bond.

Taxpayers who believe their refund check may have been returned to the IRS as undelivered should use the Where's My Refund? online tool on IRS.gov or call 1-800-829-1954. This information will provide the status of their refund and, in some cases, instructions on how to resolve delivery problems. 

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