The IRS might have a refund check for you

The Internal Revenue Service says that nearly 94,000 California taxpayers who did not file a 2014 federal income tax return may be eligible for more than $95.7 million in unclaimed refunds.

To collect the money, a return for 2014 must be filed with the IRS by April 17 this year.

The IRS said the median potential refund for California non-filers from 2014 is $785.

In cases where a tax return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window to claim a refund. If no tax return is filed within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

Nationwide, the IRS said more than 1 million taxpayers may be eligible for a combined $1.1 billion in refunds.

“Time is running out for people who haven’t filed tax returns to claim their refunds. Students, part-time workers and many others may have overlooked filing for 2014. And there’s no penalty for filing a late return if you’re due a refund,” said David Kautter, acting commissioner of the IRS.

In addition, many low- to moderate-income workers may be eligible for an Earned Income Tax Credit. For 2014, the IRS said the EITC is worth as much as $6,143.

The IRS warned taxpayers seeking a 2014 refund that their checks may be held if they have not filed tax returns for 2015 and 2016. In addition, refunds will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS or a state tax agency and may be used to offset unpaid child support or past-due federal debts, including student loans.

For more details or to get tax forms for 2014, go to the “forms and publications” page on irs.gov, or call 800-829-3676.

This story was originally published March 12, 2018 at 10:48 AM with the headline "The IRS might have a refund check for you."