Over 15,000 People in Louisiana Still Have Tax Refunds Due to Them from 2020

Hey Louisiana taxpayers, you may have money owed to you.

The IRS recently said that Americans still have more than $1 billion in unclaimed refunds for tax year 2020.

Across the U.S., roughly 940,000 people have until May 17 to submit tax returns for unclaimed refunds for that year.

“We want taxpayers to claim these refunds,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement, “but time is running out for people who may have overlooked or forgotten about these refunds.”

The average median refund is $932 for 2020. To no surprise, Texas, California, Florida, and New York have the largest amount of people who are potentially eligible for refunds.

What about in Louisiana?

There are about 15,100 Louisiana residents who are owed a 2020 tax refund.

The average refund amount is $957. All total, Louisianians are owed $17,357,300.

If I'm owed money, how do I claim my refund?

For those who need to file a return, the IRS advises taxpayers to request their W-2, 1098, 1099, or 5498 from their employer or bank. Or, order a free wage and income transcript using the "Get Transcript Online" tool at IRS.gov.

You can find current and prior year tax forms and filing instructions at irs.gov/forms-instructions or by calling 1-800-829-3676.

Deadlines

Taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim tax refunds. If not, the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury.

The deadline to claim old refunds generally falls around the April 15 tax deadline, but this year the three-year window for 2020 unfiled returns was postponed to May 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.