IRS insists: Check was in the mail

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2003 | 11:05 a.m.

Wondering what happened to that IRS check you were supposed to get?

It may be among about 200,000 checks, totaling $118 million, that were returned to the Internal Revenue Service earlier this year predominantly because of wrong addresses.

The 2,608 checks undeliverable to Las Vegas residents ranged in amount from $1 to $70,499 and averaged $627, according to IRS spokesman William Brunson. The checks, totaling $1,634,813 for the Las Vegas Valley, included tax refunds and advance child tax credit checks that were never received and cashed. The advance child tax credit checks were up to $400 per child for qualifying taxpayers.

Taxpayers must claim the advance child tax credit checks by Dec. 5 or they will have to wait until they file their 2003 tax returns to receive the money, IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said. It takes about three weeks to reissue the checks, Brunson said, and the law mandates advance checks be issued before Dec. 31.

"Time is running out to get an advance child credit check," Everson said.

Most taxpayers should know if they were supposed to receive a check, Brunson said, but some may have overpaid and not realized it, and they may be unaware they were supposed to receive a check.

In addition, some parents may not have realized they were eligible for the advance child tax credits sent out in July and August.

One 26-year-old taxpayer who asked to only be identified by his first name, Luis, said he and his wife thought they were supposed to receive an advance tax child credit for their 2-year-old son, but when a check never came, they figured they had been wrong. They never contacted the IRS.

"We were supposed to receive it but it never came in," Luis said. "We kind of already lost our hopes on getting it, but we can definitely use it."

The couple is on the list of returned checks released by the IRS, and Luis said he would call right away to claim the money.

Taxpayers can check for missing checks by visiting the IRS website, IRS.gov, or by calling toll free at 1-800-829-1040. The website allows taxpayers to track their checks by clicking on either "Where's my refund?" or "Where's My Advance Child Tax Credit?"

"Our website makes it easy for taxpayers to track undelivered checks," Everson said. "Our goal is to get this money back in the hands of people it belongs to, and we want to get the checks out as soon as possible.'

Taxpayers will need their Social Security number, filing status and the refund amount on their 2002 tax returns to access information on the refund checks. To check on the advance child tax credit, they must also provide the number of exemptions on their 2002 tax return.

All the IRS needs to reissue the checks is a good address, Everson said. Taxpayers can update their address with the IRS by filing Form 8822, Change of Address, with the IRS. The form can be downloaded online from IRS.gov or by calling 1-800-829-3676.

Brunson said taxpayers can avoid lost checks in the future by having their refunds deposited directly into a personal checking or savings account.