1,028 Hawai'i taxpayers due checks

Advertiser Staff and News Services

•	IRS refunds, child tax credits For a full list of Hawai'i residents whose IRS checks were undelivered, click here. Where's My Advance Child Tax Credit? Where's My Refund?

The refunds and checks were returned to the IRS because of invalid addresses.

The Hawai'i checks are among 200,000 due to taxpayers nationwide worth more than $118 million.

Taxpayers who moved, or changed their names due to marriage or divorce, might not have gotten their payments.

Besides tax refunds, the IRS mailed nearly 24 million advance payments to eligible taxpayers in July and August to cover the increase in the child tax credit this year from $600 to $1,000. The checks are worth up to $400 per child.

Taxpayers who haven't received their child tax-credit checks need to act by Dec. 5 to collect the payment this year, the IRS said yesterday.

After the December deadline, taxpayers can collect the credit next year when they file their 2003 tax return.

"Time is running out to get an advance child-credit check," said IRS Commissioner Mark Everson. "Our goal is to get this money back in the hands of the people it belongs to, and we want to get the checks out as soon as possible."

Checks returned to the IRS as undeliverable are destroyed, but a record of refunds due remains in taxpayers' files.

The IRS issues a new check when a taxpayer notifies the agency of a new address, or when the taxpayer files next year's return from a new address.

Taxpayers can register new addresses with the IRS and claim refunds through their tax preparers or by calling (800) 829-1040. Alternatively, taxpayers can file Form 8822 to notify the IRS of a new address.

"All we need is a good address. As soon as we get the correct address, we can start the check on its way," Everson said.

Taxpayers unsure if they are owed refunds can use interactive features on the IRS Web site to track refunds or advance child-credit payments.

Taxpayers need to enter their Social Security numbers, filing status and other information to find the status of a refund or advance payment. Using those features, many taxpayers also get instructions to resolve problems delaying refunds.

The IRS said taxpayers can avoid problems with lost or stolen refunds by having refunds deposited directly into personal checking or savings accounts. More than 44 million taxpayers used that service this year.