IRS: Many residents haven’t claimed rebates

Staff Reports
Niagara Gazette

October 07, 2008 09:24 pm

— The IRS reports millions of unclaimed economic stimulus checks nationwide and hundreds of thousands of dollars still due to residents of Erie and Niagara counties.
“There is an Oct. 15 deadline,” Kevin McKeon, a spokesman with the IRS in New York, said. “We estimate as far as the statistics we had in September, across the state it is about 346,000 retirees and disabled veterans. These are people who don’t normally have to file a return.”
According to IRS data, Randy Galley, district manager for Buffalo’s H&R Block tax services, said 24,000 people from Niagara Falls to Hamburg haven’t claimed their money.
He said their agents have been working to reach older residents but haven’t been able to reach everyone as the cutoff date approaches.
Galley said people who collected social security in 2007 and others may mistakenly believe they’re not eligible for the refunds — between $300 and $600 per claimant. Up to $1,200 has been approved for families.
A minimum income of $3,000 was required under the federal government’s plans to stimulate the economy by providing workers with money to spend.
H&R Block is one of many tax preparation services available to consumers, any one of which can answer questions about who qualifies for the government’s sweeping rebates.
McKeon said more than four million people across the U.S. have failed to claim their portion of the funds. Of that number, 3,814 reside in Niagara County and roughly 16,461 hail from Erie County.
An event today at the Buffalo VA Hospital from 9 to 11:30 a.m. will be held for those still wishing to file.
As of Aug. 29, the IRS issued $93 billion in payments to 114.8 million individuals and families.
The service’s hotline tells individuals to allow up to eight weeks for processing after filing a claim. Checks, they say, will continue being processed for the remainder of the year. Those who file before the Oct. 15 deadline can receive money even after the government’s Dec. 31 cutoff on mailing checks through filing credits in 2009.