Congressman Sherman Shows How People CanFind Out if They Have Unclaimed, Old Tax Refunds

Van Nuys, CA. - Congressman Brad Sherman on Monday told Angelenos how to find out about old undelivered tax refunds, as many rushed to meet the deadline for filing tax returns.

According to the latest figures, over 6,435 Angelenos were sent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refunds which remain undelivered. While the average undelivered IRS refund nationwide is $871, one Southern Californian stands to collect $60,632. Sherman will cosponsor legislation which will require the IRS to do more to find the owners of undelivered refunds nationwide.

œTax refunds belong in the taxpayers pockets, not in a dark corner of the Treasury, said Sherman.

Sherman, a certified public accountant who formerly served as Chairman of Californias Board of Equalization, spoke at the Van Nuys IRS Office to educate the public about tax refunds they may be due to receive, but that remain undelivered.

In 2005, the IRS received more than 223 million individual tax returns and issued over 109 million refunds. The IRS saw 14,012 undeliverable refunds in California, averaging $884.

Many undeliverable refunds result as college students file their taxes while away at school and move before the refund arrives. Deaths and marriages also may result in checks being returned to the IRS. In many cases, people may not know they are due a tax refund, perhaps because the IRS finds a math error in the taxpayers favor.

A list of taxpayers from the Los Angeles area and statewide who are owed refunds is available on Shermans website, www.BradSherman.house.gov

Shermans website lists taxpayers names, cities, state and zip codes. Though not required to search for persons entitled to undeliverable tax refunds, the IRS does note in their records which taxpayers did not receive their refund. If the individual files a new tax return within three years, the IRS will try to associate the old refund with the new return. Despite those efforts, IRS officials say they interpret federal law as prohibiting them from listing prospective recipients on their website and from actively seeking the owners of undelivered tax dollars.

Waiting and hoping for taxpayers to surface isnt enough for Sherman, and that is why he is urging the IRS to step-up efforts to deliver over $12.4 million in unclaimed tax refunds to taxpayers in California. Nationwide, there are almost 84,290 unclaimed tax refund checks, totaling over $73 million.

œCertainly, the IRS should take stronger steps than it currently does to reach taxpayers whom the government owes money. The information I announced today is one way to do that, Sherman said.

Sherman has consistently cosponsored the IRS Refund Accessibility Act, which would direct the IRS to post the list on its website, and to direct the IRS to search out taxpayers who are owed a refund.