Still waiting for your income-tax refund? You”re not alone.
More than 1,000 taxpayers in Mississippi and 2,000 in Alabama have unclaimed tax returns.
Nationwide, the IRS is looking to deliver $164 million in refund checks to 111,893 people because of mailing address errors, the IRS reported this week.
In Mississippi, 1,028 taxpayers are due a combined total of $1.18 million. The average refund is $1,144.
In Alabama, 2,018 taxpayers are due a combined total of $2.89 million. The average refund is $1,434.
“We want to make sure taxpayers get the money owed to them,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman in a press release. “If you think you are missing a refund, the sooner you update your address information, the quicker you can get your money.”
Taxpayers must update their addresses for the IRS to send out their checks. Nationally, undelivered refund checks average $1,471 this year, compared to $1,148 last year. And some taxpayers are due more than one check.
Taxpayers can update their addresses with the “Where”s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov, where they also can check the status of their refunds. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where”s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.
To eliminate lost paper returns, the IRS recommends that taxpayers file their tax returns electronically. Electronic filing also reduces errors on tax returns and speeds up refunds.
In Lowndes County, 19 people are due a total of $37,275 in refunds. Totals are not available for Clay, Oktibbeha, Monroe and Noxubee counties, where only a handful of taxpayers are due refunds.
Local taxpayers due refunds
Mississippi
Lowndes
-Artesia: Diana Taylor
-Columbus: Amos Lawrence, Shehla and Rehman Atiq, Candace Barnette, Thomas Burris Jr., Jeanette Cotton, Callie Flowers, Jamascan Gandy, Peter Gandy, Christopher Houser, Elizabeth Key, Markos Koutsovalas, Mary Marshall, Allen Phillips, Paul D. Reinitz, Mary Smith, Michael Spencer, Johnson Swoope, Dana Williamson, Carl Hatchett, Elroy Jefferson, James Powell
-Caledonia: Michal Kielar
Clay
-West Point: Carl Hatchett, Elroy Jefferson, James Powell
Oktibbeha
-Mississippi State: Granvill Adkins, Vanessa Anderson
-Starkville: Josh Cannon, Artis and Patricia Davis, Eureaka Guy, Darren Hill, Brittani Hendrix, Omoladun Kolawole, Austin Wages
Monroe
-Aberdeen: Steve and Jeana Colburn, Shanell Ivy
-Amory: Earl Henson, Willie Kimball
-Smithville: Ricky West
Noxubee
-Brooksville: John Lane, Anthony Roby
West Alabama
Lamar
-Kennedy: Michael Bell
-Sulligent: Jerry Hollis, Kenterrian Johnson
Pickens
-John Lewis, Willie and Barbara Ruffin
-Internal Revenue Service: irs.gov
-Where”s My Refund hotline: 1-800-829-1954
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