What happened to 2011?!

This is the time of year when many of us wish we had a little extra cash in our budgets. So it caught my eye yesterday when I read that Uncle Sam is sitting on money for 100,000 taxpayers.

Could you be one of them?

We're not talking about chump change here...the average refund yet to be paid is more than $1,500! All told, the IRS is holding $150 million in undelivered refunds because they have been unable to deliver them.

So, whether you've forgotten that your tax refund hasn't yet arrived or you don't know how to check the status of your refund to insure that you get it...we're here to help.

Oh, by the way, don't depend on the IRS contacting you by email or by phone about your refund...NOT going to happen. (And if you DO get such an email or phone call about your IRS refund, RUN--it's a scam!)

So take a few minutes to make sure Uncle Sam doesn't have money with your name on it.

Here are three easy steps to check your refund status:

• Use the IRS website's "Where's My Refund" feature (go to www.irs.gov and put "Where's my refund?" in the search box) to check your refund status and make sure that the IRS has your current name and address.
• You should also call the IRS' REFUND HOTLINE at 1-800-829-1954 to make sure that they have your correct current address or update your address.
• Mail or fax IRS Form 8822 and sit back and wait...and wait...and wait -- average processing time is six weeks.

We know that there's LOTS to do at this time of the year.  In fact...today is my (this is Ken) "annual trip to our storage area to get out ALL of our Christmas decorations" day...two carloads !

Taking just a few minutes from your holiday tasks to check the status of your outstanding tax refund could be well worth the effort.

Be sure to let us know if you find a refund with your name on it!

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