IRS wants to return money to Kansans

The taxman is looking for 708 Kansans — to return more than half a million dollars.

The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday released its list of taxpayers whose refund checks have been returned by the postal service. The average amount owed to Kansans is $837, a department release said.

Most often, the checks are returned because the person has moved — for example, a college student or someone who got married or divorced, said Michael Devine, IRS spokesman for Kansas and Missouri.

Nationally, the IRS is looking for more than 107,000 people who are missing more than $123.5 million in refund checks.

In Sedgwick County, the IRS has been unable to deliver refund checks to 118 people, totaling $80,488, for an average refund of $682. That is down slightly from 2008, when the department could not return checks to 125 people who were owed $774 on average.

In Butler County, there were 10 returned checks, Harvey County had five and Sumner County had six. The IRS does not calculate an average refund in counties where fewer than 10 people are owed money.

The list includes names of people who were to receive their refund check by mail, Devine said.

Anyone wondering if they are owed money by the federal government can check the status of their refund at www.irs.gov by clicking on the Check on Your Refund link on the home page. To do so, people will need their Social Security number, filing status and the amount of their refund.

Those without access to the Internet who want to check the status of a refund check can call the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954.

"It's their money," Devine said. "We are trying to get them their money and if they ask quickly, they can get it before Christmas."

If people don't contact the department, the refund money will sit in their account until the next time they file taxes and the IRS has a correct mailing address, he said. Another way to avoid the mishap is to sign up to have the tax refund deposited directly into a bank account.