Money sits in government accounts right now with names attached to it. Real names. Real addresses. Real dollar amounts. State governments across the country hold billions of dollars in unclaimed tax refunds, and the clock keeps ticking on many of those checks. Once the deadline passes, that money does not wait around forever. It can roll back into state coffers, and the chance to collect it disappears.
Every year, thousands of people leave refunds behind. Some move and forget to update an address. Some never file a return even though an employer withheld taxes from their paycheck. Others assume the amount does not justify the paperwork. That assumption can cost more than most people realize.
