Are you missing your stimulus rebate or refund?

As a follow up to our previous article; "Simulus Rebates Sent Early - Why you may not receive one," (written May 6th, 2008); we would like to inform the many of you who were eligible for a refund and have not received your checks that you still have time! According to the IRS early November press release over 383,000 checks have been returned to the IRS because of bad addresses. These checks are a combination of stimulus payments and regular yearly refund checks. If you are missing a check you should contact the IRS office immediately. The deadline to claim your stimulus payment check is November 28, 2008. By law all rebate checks must be mailed by December 31, 2008. This is money that is yours and could be useful during this upcoming holiday season.

Every year there are thousands of tax checks returned due to faulty addresses. One main reason for returned checks is that the return addresses are illegible. So it is very important that you include a clearly printed (preferably typed) address on your return. If you move or need to update your address make sure to contact the IRS as soon as possible. There is an easy access tool on the IRS website entitled "Where's My Stimulus Payment?" By clicking on this link you will be able to see the status of your refund and update your address if need be. There is also a similar tool entitled "Where's My Refund?" you can use to check the status of your regular refund check. Or you can call the IRS at their toll free number 1-800-234-2942. The website for your future information is www.irs.gov.

If you are waiting for your regular yearly refund check but are unable to find the time to track down your check you need not worry. When you file your return this coming year for 2008 in 2009 with the correct address the IRS will mail the check to the newly filed address.

It is also true that you will have a second chance to receive the stimulus payment in 2009 for 2008 when the filing season opens up again. However the rebate will take the form of a credit which means that you will not be receiving a separate payment. The IRS has not yet released updated information on the details of this situation. Continue to check their website for updated information.