An estimated 18,700 Missourians who did not file an income tax return in 2009 are missing out on about $14.7 million in available tax refunds, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service reports.
The IRS announced Thursday the refunds remain available. To collect the money, eligible taxpayers must file a 2009 tax return no later than Monday, April 15, 2013.
Nationwide, an estimated $917 million in refunds or payments is available for just under 1 million people who did not file an income tax return in 2009.
IRS spokesman Michael T. Devine said 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.
About half of the Missourians who are eligible for the refunds would receive more than $500, Devine said.
"In a case where a return was not filed," Devine said, "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 the property of the U.S. Treasury."