But some Central Coast residents actually have money owed to them from a previous year and may not know about it. I want to make sure these individuals know this money is waiting for them. At a press conference held today at Mid State Bank in Santa Barbara, Capps announced the names of Central Coast residents who filed income taxes but never received their refund check. Capps does not know how much each individual is owed. Postal Service regulations require that government checks be returned when the taxpayer moves and does not file a change of address form or if a person marries and does not have the check addressed in their new name.
Many checks are undeliverable because the address on the tax return is eligible or incorrect.
Sometimes people move and do not file their next tax return so the IRS does not have an updated address. In other instances, people pass away and the executor of their estate does not know that they have an unclaimed tax refund. The money is never forfeited to the government.