IRS may have a refund for you

Patricia Sabatini / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette / Scripps Howard News Service

Wouldn't it be great if the Internal Revenue Service were looking for you to give you money?

For nearly 108,000 taxpayers nationwide, that's exactly the case.

The agency is holding federal income tax refunds totaling about $124 million that it tried to distribute this tax season but were returned as undeliverable.

The checks were returned by the Postal Service because of incorrect or outdated addresses. The only way taxpayers can get that money, which the IRS holds indefinitely, is by coming forward.

Anyone who is owed a refund or may be the heir to one should visit the "Where's My Refund?" section at www.irs.gov to update his or her address. To access the phone version of "Where's My Refund?" call 1-800-829-1954.

To use either system, a taxpayer must submit a Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on the 2008 tax return.

Taxpayers can help avoid future mix-ups by signing up to have refunds electronically deposited into a savings or checking account.

Even taxpayers who file paper returns can have refunds automatically deposited by choosing the direct-deposit option on the returns.