Get Your IRS Refund? Maybe It's Still Out There

The Internal Revenue Service is looking to return $153.3 million in undelivered tax refund checks.

In all, 99,123 taxpayers are due refund checks this year that could not be delivered because of mailing address errors.

Undelivered refund checks average $1,547 this year.

Taxpayers who believe their check may have been returned to the IRS as undelivered should use the "Where's My Refund?" tool on IRS.gov. The tool will provide the status of their refund and, in some cases, instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.

Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.

To avoid the chance for lost returns, the IRS suggests choosing direct deposit when filing. The IRS also recommends filing tax returns electronically, which eliminates the risk of lost papers and speeds up refunds.

Almost eight out of 10 people chose e-file last year.

The public should be aware that the IRS does not contact taxpayers by e-mail to alert them of pending refunds and does not ask for personal or financial information through email.  Such messages are common phishing scams. 

If you receive such a message, don't reply to it, open any attachments or click on any links to avoid malicious codes that can infect your computer.