Washington —Senator Evan Bayh today encouraged Hoosiers who did not file a 2005 federal tax return to do so by this April 15. Bayh said there are 26,000 Hoosier taxpayers who are owed a total of $24 million in unclaimed tax refunds from the IRS.

More than half of Indiana taxpayers will receive a refund of more than $624, provided they meet the April 15 deadline. Hoosiers who had some taxes withheld from their paychecks in 2005 but did not file a return that year are most likely to qualify for a refund.

“Hoosiers who overpaid their taxes ought to get their money back from the government,” Bayh said. “For that to happen, Indiana families need to check their records and see if the return was filed in 2005. If not, now is the time. We are talking about significant sums of money here for good, hard-working people. These refund checks will be helpful and timely for families trying to stretch their monthly budgets in this difficult economy.”

Current law provides most taxpayers a three-year window to claim a tax refund. Therefore, April 15 of this year is the last day to file a tax return for 2005.  In order to receive any unclaimed refund, the return must be properly addressed, postmarked and mailed to the IRS by April 15.

Individuals must have also filed a 2006 and 2007 return in order to receive their 2005 refund check. There is no penalty assessed by the IRS for filing the 2005 return by April 15 in order to claim the refund.

Current and prior year tax forms and instructions are available on the Forms and Publications web page of IRS.gov or by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). Taxpayers who need help also can call the toll-free IRS help line at 1-800-829-1040.

Additionally, the Indiana branch of the Taxpayer Advocate—an IRS office offering free, independent and confidential tax assistance—can be reached locally at 317-685-7840 or toll-free at 1-877-777-4778.

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