The IRS owes 99,123 taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in tax refunds

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Internal Revenue Service is holding onto tens of millions of dollars in tax refunds that it hasn't been able to deliver to consumers.

A total of 99,123 taxpayers are still owed refunds this year but haven't received them due to mailing address errors, the IRS said. That amounts to a total of $153.3 million in unclaimed refunds.

While this is a small percentage of total refunds -- less than 0.01% -- the taxpayers impacted are missing out on some serious cash, with the average refund check valued at $1,547.

To avoid missing a refund in the mail, the IRS recommends that taxpayers opt for direct deposit of their returns when they file their taxes.

If you did opt to have a refund check mailed to you this year, you can check the status of your refund and resolve delivery issues by using the "Where's My Refund?" tool on the IRS website.
Bitly link for mobile users: http://1.usa.gov/w1Vx3k

If you don't check the site, you may have no idea that the IRS has been trying to send you your money. The agency does not contact taxpayers by e-mail or phone when it is unable to deliver a refund check.

 
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