WASHINGTON (AP/Nexstar) – The IRS is warning taxpayers they could be leaving more than $1 billion on the table.
Federal tax collectors said roughly 940,000 people in the United States have until May 17 to file tax returns for unclaimed refunds for tax year 2020, which total more than $1 billion nationwide.
“We want taxpayers to claim these refunds,” IRS Commissioner Danny Warfel said in a statement, “but time is running out for people who may have overlooked or forgotten about these refunds.”
The average refund for 2020 is $932. Texas, California, Florida and New York have the largest number of people potentially eligible for these refunds. The table below shows how many people in each state may still be entitled to a 2020 tax refund based on IRS estimates:
| State or District | Estimated number of persons | Medium Potential Return | Total possible refund (excluding credit) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 15,200 | $926 | $16,839,800 |
| Alaska | 3,700 | $931 | $4,335,300 |
| Arizona | 25,400 | $871 | $26,939,600 |
| Arkansas | 8,700 | $923 | $9,392,600 |
| California | 88,200 | $835 | $94,226,300 |
| Colorado | 18,500 | $894 | $20,109,900 |
| Connecticut | 9,800 | $978 | $11,343,600 |
| Delaware | 3,600 | $945 | $4,156,500 |
| District of Columbia | 2,900 | $968 | $3,503,800 |
| Florida | 53,200 | $891 | $58,210,500 |
| Georgia | 36,400 | $900 | $39,175,600 |
| Hawaii | 5,200 | $979 | $5,972,600 |
| Idaho | 4,500 | $761 | $4,369,600 |
| Illinois | 36,200 | $956 | $40,608,000 |
| Indiana | 19,200 | $922 | $20,893,000 |
| Iowa | 9,600 | $953 | $10,601,700 |
| Kansas | 8,700 | $900 | $9,285,600 |
| kentucky | 10,600 | $920 | $11,236,300 |
| Louisiana | 15,100 | $957 | $17,357,300 |
| Maine | 3,800 | $923 | $4,030,200 |
| Maryland | 22,200 | $991 | $26,365,400 |
| Massachusetts | 21,800 | $975 | $25,071,800 |
| Michigan | 34,900 | $976 | $38,274,800 |
| Minnesota | 13,500 | $818 | $14,043,900 |
| Mississippi | 8,100 | $861 | $8,685,000 |
| Missouri | 19,500 | $893 | $20,803,400 |
| montana | 3,400 | $851 | $3,632,100 |
| Nebraska | 4,700 | $901 | $5,007,300 |
| Nevada | 10,200 | $890 | $11,143,900 |
| New Hampshire | 4,200 | $982 | $4,923,100 |
| new jersey | 24,400 | $920 | $27,408,300 |
| new mexico | 6,500 | $868 | $7,032,700 |
| New York | 51,400 | $1,029 | $60,837,400 |
| North Carolina | 27,500 | $895 | $29,304,100 |
| North Dakota | 2,200 | $953 | $2,482,600 |
| ohio | 31,400 | $909 | $32,939,900 |
| Oklahoma | 14,300 | $902 | $15,566,900 |
| Oregon | 15,300 | $847 | $15,857,800 |
| Pennsylvania | 38,600 | $1,031 | $43,412,900 |
| Rhode Island | 2,600 | $986 | $2,980,500 |
| South Carolina | 11,900 | $840 | $12,564,900 |
| South Dakota | 2,200 | $892 | $2,346,300 |
| Tennessee | 16,800 | $909 | $18,007,000 |
| Texas | 93,400 | $960 | $107,130,200 |
| Utah | 7,800 | $836 | $8,191,700 |
| Vermont | 1,700 | $911 | $1,818,600 |
| Virginia | 25,900 | $914 | $28,944,600 |
| Washington | 26,200 | $976 | $31,110,300 |
| West Virginia | 3,800 | $950 | $4,130,400 |
| Wisconsin | 11,800 | $837 | $12,139,400 |
| Wyoming | 2,100 | $961 | $2,416,300 |
| total | 938,800 | $932 | $1,037,161,300 |
How to claim your refund
For people who need to file a return, the IRS advises taxpayers to request their W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5498 from their employer or bank — or order using a free Wage and Income Transcript “Get Transcript Online” tool at IRS.gov.
You can find current and previous year tax forms and filing instructions here www.irs.gov/forms-instructions or by calling 1-800-829-3676.
Taxpayers generally have three years to file and claim tax refunds, otherwise the money becomes the property of the US Treasury.
Normally, the deadline to claim old refunds falls around the April 15 tax deadline, but this year the three-year window for 2020 unpaid returns was postponed to May 17 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But if taxpayers haven’t filed returns for tax years 2021 and 2022, any 2020 refunds will be withheld until they file for those years to make sure they’re not owed.
“People faced very unusual circumstances during the pandemic, which caused some people to forget about potential refunds on their 2020 tax returns,” Warfel said. “Some people may not realize that they can get a refund. We encourage people to review their files and collect records now, so they don’t run the risk of missing the May deadline.”
Tax season officially began on January 29. According to the latest tax season statistics, more than 71.5 million personal tax filings were submitted to the IRS this season.
Nextstar’s Ashley Jackson contributed to this report.
