Does Riverside County Owe YOU Money? Hundreds Of Unclaimed Refunds About To Expire

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - Residential and business property owners from across Riverside County may be owed a tax refund, but if they don't act soon, that money will go into the county's general fund, officials announced Wednesday. Property owners who are owed tax refunds from five or more years ago have until Aug. 1 to file a claim, or risk losing the money, Treasurer-Tax Collector Don Kent said.

According to Kent, nearly 600 entities are owed $586,728 in refunds from 2012 and prior tax years. And that money – which ranges in refunds from about $12 to more than $45,000 – is waiting to be claimed.

Within the next three months, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to transfer the money into the general fund.

"Under California law, property tax refunds unclaimed for four years after the payment date – or one year after a requested claim form has been mailed back to a taxpayer by the county, whichever is later – may be transferred to the county general fund by order of the Board of Supervisors," a news release from the county's Treasurer-Tax Collector office states.

In previous years, the board postponed action on transfers to give prospective recipients additional time to file a claim. But this year, Kent and board Chairman John Tavaglione decided to get the word out well in advance in the hope that taxpayers will act.

The county will also place advertisements in area newspapers to put prospective recipients on notice.

According to Kent, most of the refunds stem from changes in the property tax roll that occurred after a payment had been mailed, resulting in savings to the taxpayer.

When the Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector sends a refund check and it's returned, it's placed in a holding account.

A complete list of individuals and businesses eligible for refunds can be found here.

Completed claim forms and supporting documentation should be emailed to PropTaxUnclaimed@rivco.org or mailed to:

• Riverside County Treasurer-Tax Collector
  Attn: Property Tax Unclaimed Refunds
  P.O. Box 12005
  Riverside, CA 92502-2205

More info on the refund process can be found here.

– City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Shutterstock