WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today announced that more than 12,100 Connecticut taxpayers may be owed more than $13 million in unclaimed and undelivered federal tax refunds if they did not file a federal tax return in 2009. The senators urged those taxpayers to take action to ensure they receive refunds they are owed.  

The IRS recently announced that nearly one million people nationwide who did not file taxes in 2009 will have until April 15th, 2013 to claim more than $917 million in unclaimed refunds. An estimated 12,100 taxpayers in Connecticut are owed an average of $638. There is no penalty for late filers, but after April 15th, the balance of those unclaimed funds will revert permanently to the U.S. Treasury.

“Tax season may never be a fun time of year, but an extra refund may be waiting for thousands of taxpayers across Connecticut,”said Murphy and Blumenthal. “Individuals and families in Connecticut are owed millions of dollars in unclaimed tax refunds, and we hope they’ll take action to reclaim every penny they’re owed from the IRS.”

According to the IRS, some people may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments. In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. If no return is filed to claim a refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

Click here for more information about refunds for those who did not file a 2009 income tax return.