Oregonians Running Out of Time to Cash Refund Checks

It's hard to imagine having a check and letting it just sit there. But that's apparently the case with thousands of Oregonians with uncashed refund checks, according to the state.

"We still have more than 5,000 taxpayers with almost $1 million in expired checks," said Steve Bergmann, Oregon Department of Revenue accounting manager. "We want these taxpayers to get their money before they have to take additional steps."

Refund checks expire two years after they are issued. After that, there is a brief window to get them reissued without having to jump through a bunch of extra hoops. If the state does not hear from someone by October, the checks get sent to the unclaimed property program at the state's Department of State Lands.

To claim the check at that point, residents need a notarized letter along with copies of identity verifying documents.

Bergmann said the most common reasons for not cashing a refund check are misplacement of the check and having an incorrect mailing address on file with Revenue. He said taxpayers should notify Revenue of any address changes to ensure receipt of all tax-related correspondence.

Visit www.oregon.gov/dor to get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments; call 1 (800) 356-4222 toll-free (English or Spanish) or (503) 378-4988; or email, questions.dor@oregon.gov. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 1 (800) 886-7204.

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