"Did You Know?" #4

In a normal tax year, your tax return is due April 15th. We all remember that 2020 was anything but normal. The government, including the IRS, was shut down due to COVID-19. Our 2019 tax returns weren’t due until July 15th, 2020. Fast-forward three years to today.

Federal law gives taxpayers three years from the due date of a tax return to file the return to claim a refund. After that, the refund is forever lost. Since the due date of the 2019 tax return was extended, so is the deadline to claim a 2019 refund. Anyone who hasn’t filed their 2019 tax return and is owed a refund (last count was over $1 billion of refunds haven’t been claimed) MUST file their return by July 17th, 2023 to claim that refund. (July 15th falls on a Saturday, so you get two more days.)

It’s too late to electronically file, so these must be mailed. Since the due date is so close, you will want to be able to prove the date of mailing. Mail your return from the post office CERTIFIED MAIL WITH RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED (with the little green card that gets sent back to you with a stamp that the IRS received it.)

If you need help filing, the John H. Boner Center VITA center is opening their doors for one day only on July 15th.  They are located at 2236 East 10th St., Indianapolis. The hours for that day have yet to be announced, but you will want to get there before they open to get spot because it is first come, first served.