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People who didn't claim what they're owed will receive checks.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 16, 2000
BEVERLY HILLS -- It was sort of like winning the lottery.
Michael and Livia Ballard found out Wednesday that Uncle Sam still owes them a tax refund from last year -- a check that did not follow the couple when they left Lecanto for a new home in Beverly Hills.
"We were in the process of building a house, and obviously somewhere along the line things got mixed up," said Mrs. Ballard, 43, a retired payroll clerk.
The Ballards were not expecting a refund and did not know how much it would be, but Mrs. Ballard said with their hefty tax bill, "Any refund is worthwhile."
The Ballards are among 25 taxpayers in Citrus County -- and 8,208 taxpayers statewide -- who never cashed their tax refund checks from the past four years. In most cases, people moved or put an incorrect address on their tax returns, and their refund check never caught up with them, Internal Revenue Service spokeswoman Gloria Sutton said.
The money due Florida taxpayers totals $8.3-million, and the average unclaimed refund check in Central Florida is $899.
The IRS does not have the resources to contact each of the overdue refund recipients, estimated to be more than 90,000 taxpayers nationwide, Sutton said.
But she said when those taxpayers submit their returns next year, the computer system will send the old refund check to their latest address.
If those people do not need to file a tax return next year, or if they want to update their address in the system now, they can call the IRS at (800) 829-1040, and the check will be sent to them in four to six weeks, Sutton said.
Taxpayers can easily avoid this problem in the future, Sutton said, by having their refunds directly deposited into their bank account. The instructions for direct deposit are included on the 1040 income tax return form. "That way you don't have to worry at all about a check being lost or stolen or not reaching you," Sutton said.
The refund recipients in Citrus include: Frances E. Ardolino of Homosassa; John P. and Helen M. Connors of Beverly Hills; Donald J. Cook of Lecanto; Russell Harper of Hernando; Amy L. Hollingsworth of Crystal River; Roger and Cindy D. Householder of Inverness; Judy Ann Keller of Crystal River; Dale R. and Alison Reeves Lapham of Crystal River; Estate of Gary B. Linton of Inverness; Roy G. and Sherie A. Liptrap of Inverness; Yvonne M. Lundblad of Beverly Hills; Burton B. Mayes of Homosassa; Walter T. and Virginia K. Murphy of Inverness; Patricia Newberry of Inverness; Anne E. Novak of Beverly Hills; Robert R. and Anita A. Padron of Lecanto; Huvi M. and Malinda K. Pardo of Crystal River; Jaimin Patel of Crystal River; Helen Purvis of Inverness; Lois H. Rowe of Inverness; Jason L. Schwaninger of Crystal River; Eric W. Striler of Inverness; Philip Tompkins of Floral City; Dennis A. Wyma of Hernando.