IRS still holding 42 local checks

Published 11:59 pm Friday, October 24, 2008

Hazel G. Bayard, Jemison

Matthew R. Beck, Clanton

Joseph N. and Patricia F. Bice, Clanton

Aswanta Blair, Jemison

Gordon E. Brasher, Jemison

Larry Brasher, Jemison

Tommy J. and Linda A. Brown, Clanton

Thomas F. Broxton Jr., Verbena

Casey L. Butterworth, Maplesville

Jesus Clavijo Delcarmen, Jemison

Christy Cleckler, Clanton

Cynthia D. Clemons, Clanton

Norma J Davis, Clanton

Carlos Dominguez-Padro, Clanton

Ray Dopson, Clanton

David M. Edwards, Verbena

Chad Ellison, Clanton

Jose and Ana M. Gutierrez Gamez, Jemison

Granados, Rolando Clanton

James and Jennifer Kirkpatrick Hitt, Jemison

Linda House, Clanton

Edgar Illescas, Clanton

John W. Jackson, Clanton

Ervin Joiner, Clanton

Agatha C. Keenan, Thorsby

Charles Lucas, Jemison

Anthony R. and Mary M. Gleaton Mckee, Jemison

Jason and Kayla Shiers Millard, Clanton

Amber Mims, Clanton

Sarah M. Moody, Jemison

Michael G. Newby, Clanton

Mattie L. Nix, Maplesville

Mamie Patterson, Clanton

Wesley A. Rager, Clanton

Jerry E. and Crystal D. Cole Ray, Clanton

Bertalia A Rivet, Clanton

James Scott, Verbena

Angel L. Smith, Jemison

Johnny F. and Jeralyn J. Smith, Stanton

Ollievett Smith, Clanton

William B. Smithey, Jemison

Mark Wilson, Jemison

The IRS is attempting to locate 42 Chilton County residents who are due checks by the tax agency.

Of the 42, all but 10 are for Economic Stimulus Payments, which totals $17,447. The remaining checks are for regular refunds. A list of the people who haven’t received their checks was released by the IRS yesterday.

“Just a simple address update will allow the IRS to get this money into the hands of its owners,” IRS spokesperson Dan Boone said in a release yesterday.

For those who are trying to get regular refunds, Boone recommends they log on to http://www.irs.gov and click on the “Where’s My Refund?” link. Residents can then update their mailing address so the IRS can resend the check. Taxpayers checking on a refund over the phone will be given instructions on how to update their addresses. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.

However, those who haven’t received their economic stimulus checks will need to call 1-866-234-2942 to change their addresses.

“It is crucial that taxpayers who may be due a stimulus check update their addresses with the IRS by Nov. 28,” Boone said. “By law, economic stimulus checks must be sent out by Dec. 31 of this year.”

Statewide, there are more than 5,300 Alabamians who haven’t received their stimulus checks, totaling $3 million, and 1,500 who haven’t received regular refunds, totaling $1.56 million. These payments were mailed out and returned by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors, according to Boone.

Nationwide, more than 279,000 economic stimulus checks, totaling about $163 million, and more than 104,000 regular refund checks, totaling about $103 million, were returned to the IRS.

The undeliverable economic stimulus checks average $583. The regular refund checks that were returned to the IRS average $1,044 in Alabama. These checks are resent as soon as taxpayers update their address.

The vast majority of checks mailed out by the IRS reach their rightful owner every year. Only a very small percentage is returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.

Through Sept. 2008, the government distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments with only about 279,000 checks being undeliverable. Meanwhile, the IRS has distributed more than 105 million regular refunds this year with only about 104,000 being undeliverable. In both cases, well under one percent of refunds or stimulus checks were undeliverable.