Reporter: Drew Speier
New Media Producer: Rachel Chambliss
UPDATE, TUE 8 PM: The IRS is looking for you, not because you owe them money, but because they owe you money.
They've had more than $1 million in tax refund checks go undelivered to more than 1,000 taxpayers. And 55 live right here in the Tri-State, but the IRS can't find them.
Angela Walsh, with the IRS in Evansville, says, "There are people out there that have refunds that they are entitled to, and we're looking for them."
Some might believe when the IRS is looking for someone, they find them.
Charles Crowe says, "When you owe them money, they know how to find you right? Oh right, I know that. But when they owe you money, it's a different story."
That's not necessarily so says the IRS. They say refund checks go astray for many reasons like a change of address that never gets passed on to the IRS or the post office or poor handwriting on a return.
Walsh informs, "In Kentucky, there's actually 15 people that we're looking for, and in the Indiana area, viewing area, surrounding counties, I believe it's 41 to be exact. It's about $15,000 in refunds."
The best way to collect money owed is to go to the IRS Web site and click on the "Where's My Refund?" link or call 1-800-829-1954.
To guard against undelivered refunds, the IRS says to file electronically or ask to be paid by direct deposit.
"You can actually designate your refund to three different places: a savings account, a checking account or into an IRA or a pension plan of some kind," says Walsh.
There's no statute of limitations on money the IRS owes the taxpayer. They want you to have it no matter when it is.
PREVIOUSLY: You may be getting an early Christmas present. The IRS is looking for 55 taxpayers in the Tri-State, not to collect on back taxes, but to hand out a refund.
The IRS says more than $1 million is still out there, statewide, that has yet to be collected. And about $15,000 of that belongs to people from the Tri-State.
The local IRS office on Evansville's eastside says 41 of those people are from the Evansville's area, and another 14 are from our viewing area in Kentucky. All have filed taxes but have not gotten their tax returns.
Angela Walsh, with the IRS office in Evansville, says, "We are looking for them. We can't locate them either because their address has changed, and they haven't updated with IRS, or they have not updated with the post office. So it is difficult to find them."
If you're one of those people looking for your refund, coming up on 14 News @ 10, we'll tell you what you need to do to collect that money before Christmas arrives.
