The IRS has reported that more than 1.4 million tax payers are due over $1.3 BILLION in unclaimed refunds because they have not filed a 2006 tax return. These refunds are still available, but only if a 2006 tax return is filed before April 15th, 2010. After that, the government gets to keep your refunds.
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. In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. If no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury…
By failing to file a return, people stand to lose more than refunds of taxes withheld or paid during 2006. For example, most telephone customers, including most cell-phone users, qualify for the one-time telephone excise tax refund. Available only on the 2006 return, this special payment applies to long-distance excise taxes paid on phone service billed from March 2003 through July 2006. The government offers a standard refund amount of $30 to $60, or taxpayers can base their refund request on the actual amount of tax paid. For details, see the Telephone Excise Tax Refund page on IRS.gov.
In addition, many low-and-moderate income workers may not have claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC helps individuals and families whose incomes are below certain thresholds, which in 2006 were $38,348 for those with two or more children, $34,001 for people with one child and $14,120 for those with no children. For more information, visit the EITC Home Page.
So if you thought you did not make enough income to file a tax return for tax year 2006, you may have money due to you. The median refund for 2006 is $604, and in this economy every penny counts. If you haven’t filed a 2006 tax return, contact an R&G Professional today and we will help you determine if any of these unclaimed refunds belong to you.
Source: IRS.gov