The Internal Revenue Service issued a final notice on the deadline for taxpayers to claim tax refunds from 2019. It is in 12 days for those who continue to be owed money from the government.
"Time is running out for people owed a tax refund in 2019," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a press statement.
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The IRS said the deadline is “rapidly approaching” and encouraged taxpayers in the United States to file a tax return for the tax year 2019 by July 17. One and a half million people have unclaimed federal refunds, and the estimated median refund is $893.
"The final window closes on July 17 for taxpayers who didn't file a tax return for 2019 to claim their refund. The IRS continues to urge people who may have overlooked filing during the pandemic to act quickly before they lose their final chance to claim a potentially substantial refund," Werfel said.
Low- and moderate-income employees may be eligible for an earned income tax credit, which is worth a maximum of $6,557 if their 2019 income qualifies. EITC is a type of tax break that accounts for inflation each year for part-time and full-time employees.
Taxpayers must fall below a certain income threshold to qualify: Single people without qualifying children must make less than $15,570, and single people with one qualifying child must fall below $41,094. That number is $46,884 if applicants are married or filing jointly with one child. Further guidelines and income limits can be found on the IRS webpage.
Other refund amounts for each individual recipient will depend on a household's tax status.
The IRS noted that people's 2019 tax refunds could be held if their tax returns for 2020 and 2021 have not been filed yet. The law states taxpayers usually have up to three years to file and claim their tax refunds before the money is kept by the Treasury.
"People have more time than usual to file tax returns to claim their refunds for tax year 2019," a press statement read. "The three-year window for 2019 unfiled returns was postponed to July 17, 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency."
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The IRS said taxpayers can get key documents for their 2019 forms by either requesting copies from their employer or bank or ordering an income transcript through the IRS government website. The IRS can also order a free wage and income transcript through the Get Transcript Online tool.
The IRS estimates that California and Texas have two of the highest estimated number of people who may have unclaimed refunds, with over 100,000 people in each state who may be entitled to a tax refund.