You work hard for your money; shouldn't you take care of it? Do you like the idea of the government having a huge account holding onto your money and that of your neighbours? That is exactly what is happening if you have an unclaimed tax refund, or if you haven't filed your taxes.
There is literally over a billion dollars sitting in the US Treasury waiting for residents to claim it. As of 2008 the total amount was 1.2B USD. I'm of the opinion that my share of that pie will do more good in my pocket than in the government's. What with all the plans to bail out failing sectors of the economy, I didn't mess up, so give me my money.
If you haven't filed your taxes in the last few years, don't worry. There is no penalty for filing late, unless you owe money. But we'll work on the assumption that you didn't file because you knew you were entitled to a return, but got busy. The deadline to file taxes is April 15th, and you can file returns for the previous four tax years. This means that if you haven't filed for income tax since 2002, you can receive any unclaimed tax rebates as far back as 2005. It is really not that difficult, as I stated there are numerous software programs to assist, and even if you are doing a traditional paper return as long as you follow instructions and use a calculator you should be fine.
You can get tax preparation packages for previous years from the Internal Revenue Service's website (www.irs.gov). Just access their site and type "tax packages" into the search bar. This will bring up links to different years. While you are on irs.gov, don't forget to request any T4s you may need to complete you taxes. File your taxes and within a month you should receive your check.
Of course, not filing your taxes is not the only way that you could miss out on your refund. A large portion of unclaimed tax refunds are due to the government's inability to locate you. According to officials with the IRS, the majority of these unclaimed funds are due to people not providing current addresses to the government.
This is so prevalent, in fact, that the government has set up a website specifically for finding tax refunds that have missed you. If you believe that you are owed a refund, but have not received it, check out www.wheresmyrebate.com. To be able to use the Where's My Rebate service you will need your tax return handy. The site asks for your social security number, your marital status and the amount of your refund as calculated on your return. Additionally, you can contact the IRS directly and speak to one of their representatives to find out if you are owed any monies. A simple phone call seems a small inconvenience to make a few hundred dollars.
Simple, you've done some minor financial housekeeping and as your reward you should get at least a few hundred dollars from the government. I personally love when they pay me money, as I'm sure you do. Enjoy and don't spend it all in one place. - 15275
There is literally over a billion dollars sitting in the US Treasury waiting for residents to claim it. As of 2008 the total amount was 1.2B USD. I'm of the opinion that my share of that pie will do more good in my pocket than in the government's. What with all the plans to bail out failing sectors of the economy, I didn't mess up, so give me my money.
If you haven't filed your taxes in the last few years, don't worry. There is no penalty for filing late, unless you owe money. But we'll work on the assumption that you didn't file because you knew you were entitled to a return, but got busy. The deadline to file taxes is April 15th, and you can file returns for the previous four tax years. This means that if you haven't filed for income tax since 2002, you can receive any unclaimed tax rebates as far back as 2005. It is really not that difficult, as I stated there are numerous software programs to assist, and even if you are doing a traditional paper return as long as you follow instructions and use a calculator you should be fine.
You can get tax preparation packages for previous years from the Internal Revenue Service's website (www.irs.gov). Just access their site and type "tax packages" into the search bar. This will bring up links to different years. While you are on irs.gov, don't forget to request any T4s you may need to complete you taxes. File your taxes and within a month you should receive your check.
Of course, not filing your taxes is not the only way that you could miss out on your refund. A large portion of unclaimed tax refunds are due to the government's inability to locate you. According to officials with the IRS, the majority of these unclaimed funds are due to people not providing current addresses to the government.
This is so prevalent, in fact, that the government has set up a website specifically for finding tax refunds that have missed you. If you believe that you are owed a refund, but have not received it, check out www.wheresmyrebate.com. To be able to use the Where's My Rebate service you will need your tax return handy. The site asks for your social security number, your marital status and the amount of your refund as calculated on your return. Additionally, you can contact the IRS directly and speak to one of their representatives to find out if you are owed any monies. A simple phone call seems a small inconvenience to make a few hundred dollars.
Simple, you've done some minor financial housekeeping and as your reward you should get at least a few hundred dollars from the government. I personally love when they pay me money, as I'm sure you do. Enjoy and don't spend it all in one place. - 15275
About the Author:
Robert Shaw writes insightful articles on topics like unclaimed tax refunds and is a diligent researcher on topics like tax software reviews. Come and join the hundreds of happy taxpayers by visiting our sites.
