IRS owes some IL residents more than $57M in tax refunds. Here’s how to get your money

Meredith Howard
·2 min read

Illinois taxpayers are owed $57,591,300 in tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service, but they’ll have to take action by July or forfeit the money.

The refunds are from tax year 2019, and those who did not file their return that year may be owed. Across the U.S., the IRS estimates $1.5 billion in refunds remains unclaimed.

In Illinois, the IRS estimates 55,800 people still need to file a 2019 return, with a median refund of $916. In addition to back tax refunds, residents may also be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, depending on their income and number of qualifying dependents.

Missouri taxpayers are owed $31,345,700, the IRS reports, with a median return of $880. These figures exclude the EITC.

The deadline to file 2019 returns is July 17, and after that date unclaimed money will become the property of the U.S. Treasury.

“With the pandemic taking place when the 2019 tax returns were originally due, people faced extremely unusual situations. People may have simply forgotten about tax refunds with the deadline that year postponed all the way into July,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel stated in an April 12 press release. “We frequently see students, part-time workers and others with little income overlook filing a tax return and never realize they may be owed a refund. We encourage people to review their records and start gathering records now, so they don’t run the risk of missing the July deadline.”

Those seeking 2019 refunds may not receive their checks if they haven’t filed their 2020 and 2021 tax returns yet.

“In addition, the refund will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS or a state tax agency and may be used to offset unpaid child support or past due federal debts, such as student loans,” the IRS website says.

How to file your 2019 tax return

The IRS offers three ways people can file their returns from tax year 2019:

  • Taxpayers can request Forms W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5489 for years 2019, 2020 and 2021 from their employer or bank.

  • The “quickest and easiest option” for many taxpayers is to use the tool Get Transcript Online, the IRS says. This site allows taxpayers to order a free wage and income transcript.

  • If all else fails, you can file Form 4506-T with the IRS to request a wage and income transcript. The IRS says this option can take several weeks and advises taxpayers to try other avenues first.

“A wage and income transcript shows data from information returns received by the IRS, such as Forms W-2, 1099, 1098, Form 5498 and IRA contribution information,” the IRS says. “Taxpayers can use the information from the transcript to file their tax return.”