Tax Checks Go Unclaimed: KSAX Helps One Woman Find Hers

The IRS is looking for thousands of taxpayers who are due to receive more than $120 million in refund checks that were returned to the post office last April.

According to the IRS website, taxpayers who changed their addresses after filing taxes in 2009, or did not list their address correctly, are among those who likely didn’t get the refund. 

Minnesota residents have 1,290 of those unclaimed checks, and ten were listed as having Douglas County addresses.

After placing a few phone calls, KSAX surprised one of those area residents and actually showed her how to claim her lost return. 

Alexandria’s Carolyn Mallery simply logged onto www.irs.gov to claim her lost refund.  The task took about five minutes.  Mallery had her 2009 income tax refund in hand and simply used her social security number to update her address and check her IRS refund status.  

"This year I had it sent in the mail and I think they forgot to put the lot number on it," said Mallery, who lives at the Hustad Mobile Home Park in Alexandria.

As for the refund, she says the extra hundred bucks will come in handy this Holiday season.  

"This year, it will be a late Christmas present for me" Mallery said with a smile.

Minnesota taxpayers can search for lost refunds by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1954, or logging onto www.irs.gov and clicking on "Where's my Refund?"