By Andrew Coen
The Five Towners who are owed money by the IRS, according to officials from the agency, are Inwood residents Junior McClean and Justin Zydor; Michael Miranda, Harriet Mogel and John Oliviera of Atlantic Beach; Jose and Anaesa Rodriguez of Cedarhurst; Lawrence residents Omar Bangoura, Karen Dixon and Leon Williams; Wendy Benjamin, Stephen Drysielski and Melissa Hanna Usdan of Woodmere; and Hewlett resident Christopher Motisi.
None could be reached for comment.
In some cases, a taxpayer has more than one check waiting, with the average amount owed totaling $995, according to IRS officials. "Our goal is to get this money back in the hands of the people it belongs to," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said. "Visiting www.IRS.gov makes it easy for taxpayers to see if they've missed a refund."
The "Where's My Refund?" feature on the IRS Web site provides taxpayers with information about their refunds. It is available from the home page. To use it, taxpayers must enter their Social Security number, filing status (such as single or married filing jointly) and the refund amount shown on their 2004 tax return. When the information is submitted, "Where's My Refund?" will show the status of a refund and, in some cases, provide instructions to resolve potential issues.
IRS officials explain that refund checks can go astray for a variety of reasons, the most common being people who fail to notify the IRS or the U.S. Postal Service of address changes. A check sent to a taxpayer's last known address is returned to the IRS.
Taxpayers who have moved since filing their last tax return can ensure that the IRS has their correct addresses by filing Form 8822, Change of Address. Download the form from www.IRS.gov
or request it by calling (800) TAX-FORM (829-3676).
Those who do not have access to the Internet and think they may be missing refunds should first check their records or contact their tax preparers, then call the IRS' toll-free assistance line at (800) 829-1040 to update their addresses.
"To put an end to undelivered refunds, taxpayers can join the 52 million individuals this year who have taken advantage of Direct Deposit," said the IRS's New York spokesman, Kevin McKeon. "Taxpayers who choose this service receive their refunds directly into a personal checking or savings account. Direct Deposit, which also guards against theft or lost refund checks, is available for filers of both paper and electronic returns."
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
