IRS has money to give local residents

IRS tries to locate 60 Vermilion Parish residents for tax stimulus

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is looking for taxpayers who are missing more than 279,000 economic stimulus checks totaling about $163 million and more than 104,000 regular refund checks totaling about $103 million that were returned by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.

“People across the country are missing tax refunds and stimulus checks. We want to get this money into the hands of taxpayers where it belongs,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “We are committed to making the process as easy as possible for taxpayers to update their addresses with the IRS and get their checks.”

All a taxpayer has to do is update his or her address once. The IRS will then

send out all checks due.

There is a list of 60 people from Vermilion Parish that the government owes money to. (See end of story)

Stimulus Checks strong>

It is crucial that taxpayers who may be due a stimulus check update their addresses with the IRS by Nov. 28, 2008. By law, economic stimulus checks must be sent out by Dec. 31 of this year. The undeliverable economic stimulus checks average $583.

The “Where’s My Stimulus Payment?” tool on IRS.gov is the quickest and easiest way for a taxpayer to check the status of a stimulus check and receive instructions on how to update his or her address. Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234-2942.

Regular Refunds strong>

The regular refund checks that were returned to the IRS average $988. These checks are resent as soon as taxpayers update their address.

Taxpayers can update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. It enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds. A taxpayer must submit his or her social security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2007 return. The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.

Taxpayers checking on a refund over the phone will be given instructions on how to update their addresses. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.

Unsure? strong>

Taxpayers not sure of which type of check they may be due should check on a potential economic stimulus check first because of the looming deadline. See instructions above.

For Most People strong>

The vast majority of checks mailed out by the IRS reach their rightful owner every year. Only a very small percent are returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.

Through September 2008, the government distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments with only about 279,000 checks being undeliverable. Meanwhile, the IRS has distributed more than 105 million regular refunds this year with only about 104,000 being undeliverable. In both cases, well under one percent of refunds or stimulus checks were undeliverable.

Avoiding Future Problems strong>

The IRS encourages taxpayers to choose direct deposit when they file their return because it puts an end to lost, stolen or undeliverable checks. Taxpayers can receive refunds directly into personal checking or savings accounts. Direct deposit is available for filers of both paper and electronic returns.

The IRS also encourages taxpayers to file their tax returns electronically because e-file eliminates the risk of lost paper returns. E-file also reduces errors and speeds up refunds.

Names of parish residents IRS is looking for:

Abbott, Jade Maurice

Ayala, Mario A Kaplan

Bessard, Randolph B Abbeville

Breaux, Ricky Abbeville

Broussard, David B & Melanie B Maurice

Broussard, Seth J Erath

Castro, Ricardo Abbeville

Cessac, Lilly R Abbeville

Chapman, Linda R Kaplan

Clostio, Elix C Abbeville

Cornejo Lara, Alicia Abbeville

Delano, Christopher Abbeville

Demarcy, Heath E & Amanda F Trahan

Dupuis, Wendell W & Christina S Abbeville

Duran Lerma, Jesus A Perry

Escalante, Gilberto Perry

Fluman, Carl E Iii Abbeville

Gatte, Jordan K Gueydan

Green, Demond Abbeville

Gualizapa, Rafael Perry

Hebert, Amy Maurice La

Henry, Adam & Lisa Abbeville

Hoffpauir, Alvin Jr Abbeville

Johnnie, Janis L Kaplan

Lege, Dudley J & Deana Comeaux Kaplan

Leleux, Travis J Kaplan

Lemaire, Stefen C Kaplan

Luna Fajardo, Jose J Abbeville

Machado Felix, Salvador A Perry

Marceaux, Eric J & Tracey L Kaplan

Meaux, Kyle Kaplan

Migues, Wesley Delcambre

Miller, Gregory P Abbeville

Moore, Ronald Abbeville

Moreno-meneses, Briceida O Erath

Mouton, Minnie B Kaplan

Murillo Mendez, Rosa Delcambre

Myers, Jamie Kaplan

Olguin, Juan Abbeville

Page, Rhett Maurice La

Penuelas Fierro, Maria D Abbeville

Petry, Henry A Jr Abbeville

Pitts, Willie Abbeville

Quick, Rosa L Kaplan La

Ray, Lonnie J Ii Maurice

Richard, Lana S Kaplan

Romero, Oscar R Delcambre

Rudd, Precious Kaplan

Ruelas Juarez, Francisco J Kaplan

Ruiz Moreno, Pablo Abbeville

Stump, Ellen C Kaplan

Suire, Troy J Abbeville

Terrazas Pinzon, Jose M Perry

Theriot, Shanna L Kaplan

Thomas, Molly K Abbeville

Touchet, Kristen N Erath

Tyson, Marion L Abbeville

Vincent, Annie M Abbeville

Young, Meraiah K Maurice La

Deirdre (Dee) Harris