Connecticut Federal Income Tax Checks Returned to IRS

HARTFORD — The Internal Revenue Service has released a list of just over 3,000 Connecticut taxpayers whose income tax refund or advance payment checks have been returned to the IRS by the Postal Service marked “undeliverable.”

The agency’s list of undelivered checks this year includes more than 2,300 advance payment checks for Connecticut taxpayers that the IRS started issuing in July. There is extra urgency for taxpayers to act quickly on these checks by December 5. After that day, taxpayers cannot get an advance payment check. Instead, they’ will have to claim it after January 1 on their 2001 tax returns.

The total dollars represented by Connecticut’s returned advance payment checks totals $779,000 – an average of $336.00 per check. The returned checks represent slightly less than one-fifth of one percent of the more than 1.2 million checks mailed to Connecticut taxpayers over the past few months.

In addition, 755 regular tax refund checks were returned to the IRS. These “regular” tax refunds are worth $687,000 – an average of $909 per check. These undelivered checks represent less than one tenth of one percent of the total number of tax refund checks that were successfully delivered.

“The advanced payment checks add another dimension this year,” said Diane Besunder, IRS spokesperson for Connecticut. “But our objective remains the same: We want to get this money in the hands of the people as quickly as possible.”

Taxpayers whose names appear of the list of undelivered checks should call the IRS toll-free assistance line at 800-829-1040.

“We need to get a correct address for these taxpayers,” Besunder said. “As soon as we get the correct address, we’ll start the check on its way. But for the advance payments, we need that information before December 5 so we have time to reprocess the checks before the end of the year.”

There are many reasons that refund or advance payment checks might not reach taxpayers. It’s often because a life change occurs that causes an address change or a name change. If an address changes, and neither the IRS nor the US Postal Service is notified, a check sent to the last known address will be returned to the IRS.

According to the Postal Service, about 43 million Americans move each year. That’s more than 800,000 address changes each week.

To ensure the IRS has their correct address, taxpayers who have moved since filing their last tax return are urged to file a Form 8822, “Change of Address,” with the IRS. The form can be downloaded from the IRS website at www.irs.gov or can be requested by calling 1-800-829-3676.