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MoneyGeek Analysis:

$1.5 Billion of Unclaimed Tax Refunds Are About to Expire

How much are residents in your state missing out on?

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Last Updated: 5/8/2023
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You wouldn’t think that anyone would forget to collect a tax refund, but it happens. Typically, taxpayers have three years to file and claim their tax returns. However, because the 2020 tax season coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the filing deadline for 2019 earnings has been extended until July 17, 2023. Anyone with unclaimed tax refund money from their 2019 earnings stands to lose this cash if they don't file their return by this fast-approaching date.

MoneyGeek analyzed 2019 unclaimed tax refund data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and estimated the average amount of unclaimed tax cash per affected resident in every state. We found that while the average resident in some states could gain more from filing their taxes, Americans across the board are sitting on significant refunds.

Key Findings:
  • There’s still $1.5 billion in total unclaimed tax refunds for 2019 earnings — that’s an average of $1,006 per eligible individual.

  • Six of the 10 states with the biggest average unclaimed tax refunds are in the Northeast, leaving an average of $1,065 unclaimed for 2019.

  • Residents of Alaska have the most unclaimed tax cash for 2019, valued at around $1,090 per affected resident. Idaho residents have the smallest amount of unclaimed money at $921.

Missing the July 17 Deadline for Claiming 2019 Taxes Could Mean Losing an Average of $1,006

If you earned money in 2019 and didn’t file your taxes in 2020, there may be some cash owed to you that you could lose out on if you don’t try to collect it soon. If you have unclaimed taxes to collect, you could be in for a pleasant windfall, with the average unclaimed tax refund totaling $1,006.

In addition to a potential refund, many low- and moderate-income workers may also be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), worth as much as $6,557 in 2019. This tax credit is available to individuals with incomes that met the following criteria in 2019:

  • $50,162 ($55,952 if married and filing jointly) for those with three or more qualifying children
  • $46,703 ($52,493 if married and filing jointly) for people with two qualifying children
  • $41,094 ($46,884 if married and filing jointly) for those with one qualifying child
  • $15,570 ($21,370 if married and filing jointly) for people without qualifying children

How to File Your 2019 Taxes

Fortunately, you have options if you think the IRS does owe you a refund for the money you earned in 2019. The process for filing older tax returns is the same as filing for the current tax year; taking the following steps will jumpstart the process of receiving your 2019 returns before the July 17, 2023, deadline.

  • onlineForms icon

    Gather essential documents.

    To file your 2019 taxes, you’ll need several documents, including any W-2 and 1099 forms for income earned that year. If you don't have copies of these and are unable to obtain them through other means, the IRS has a “Get Your Tax Record” page that allows you to request electronic transcripts of wage and income statements, past tax records and more.

  • laptop icon

    File your refund.

    Depending on how complicated your tax situation is, you can file online with tax preparation software or hire a tax accountant.

  • money2 icon

    Receive your unclaimed tax cash.

    Typically, most people who file their tax refunds electronically receive them within 21 days. However, if you file your tax return by mail, it could take up to four weeks to receive your refund.

15 States With the Biggest 2019 Unclaimed Tax Refunds

MoneyGeek estimated the average amount of unclaimed tax cash each state has per affected resident to find the states with the most unclaimed cash left over from the 2020 tax season, which coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alaska residents with unclaimed tax refunds stand to gain the most by filing unclaimed refunds for 2019 earnings by the July 17 deadline — an average of $1,090. Many of the states on MoneyGeek’s top 15 list are located in the Northeastern United States, where the population and cost of living are high.

15 States With the Most Unclaimed Tax Cash Per Average Affected Resident
State
Unclaimed Tax Cash per Resident (2019)

1.

Alaska

$1,090

2.

North Dakota

$1,080

3.

New Hampshire

$1,080

4.

Massachusetts

$1,076

5.

Wyoming

$1,071

6.

New York

$1,064

7.

Washington

$1,057

8.

Connecticut

$1,052

9.

Texas

$1,051

10.

West Virginia

$1,049

11.

Hawaii

$1,045

12.

Rhode Island

$1,039

13.

New Jersey

$1,038

14.

District of Columbia

$1,034

15.

Illinois

$1,032

Every State's Average Unclaimed 2019 Tax Refund Amounts

MoneyGeek analyzed 2019 unclaimed tax refund data from the IRS to estimate the states with the most 2019 unclaimed tax cash per affected resident.

The data points presented are defined as follows:

  • Rank: In order of highest to lowest Average Unclaimed Tax Return per Individual, with a rank of "1" indicating the largest Average Unclaimed Tax Return per Individual and a rank of "51" indicating the smallest.
  • Average Unclaimed Tax Return per Individual: Potential unclaimed refunds for 2019 divided by the number of affected individuals.
  • Total Potential Refunds: Total outstanding unclaimed tax cash as reported by the IRS for 2019 earnings.
Rank
State
Average Unclaimed Tax Return per Individual
Total Potential Refunds

1

Alaska

$1,090

$6,542,300

2

North Dakota

$1,080

$3,997,100

3

New Hampshire

$1,080

$7,451,800

4

Massachusetts

$1,076

$38,400,900

5

Wyoming

$1,071

$3,534,800

6

New York

$1,064

$86,826,200

7

Washington

$1,057

$44,823,200

8

Connecticut

$1,052

$16,198,400

9

Texas

$1,051

$142,235,200

10

West Virginia

$1,049

$6,818,900

11

Hawaii

$1,045

$9,197,700

12

Rhode Island

$1,039

$4,468,700

13

New Jersey

$1,038

$42,035,900

14

District of Columbia

$1,034

$4,550,100

15

Illinois

$1,032

$57,591,300

16

Maryland

$1,030

$32,344,500

17

Pennsylvania

$1,028

$57,572,600

18

Oklahoma

$1,017

$21,770,000

19

Indiana

$1,013

$32,115,100

20

South Dakota

$1,013

$3,746,700

21

Iowa

$1,013

$15,492,600

22

Louisiana

$1,012

$22,274,800

23

Kansas

$1,011

$14,753,700

24

Delaware

$1,010

$5,754,900

25

Florida

$1,003

$89,530,400

26

Michigan

$1,002

$48,582,600

27

Kentucky

$999

$18,574,200

28

Virginia

$998

$42,110,500

29

Nebraska

$993

$7,745,600

30

New Mexico

$992

$9,522,400

31

Alabama

$991

$23,694,700

32

Montana

$989

$5,144,900

33

Missouri

$986

$31,345,700

34

Nevada

$984

$15,550,300

35

Arkansas

$983

$12,586,100

36

Tennessee

$983

$27,623,700

37

Colorado

$981

$29,514,000

38

California

$980

$141,780,000

39

Vermont

$980

$3,036,600

40

North Carolina

$970

$44,426,600

41

Ohio

$970

$50,234,900

42

Maine

$968

$6,197,300

43

Minnesota

$965

$22,387,800

44

Georgia

$964

$46,269,000

45

Mississippi

$962

$11,836,700

46

Arizona

$958

$33,911,500

47

Utah

$957

$11,198,400

48

Wisconsin

$953

$20,003,100

49

South Carolina

$949

$17,264,100

50

Oregon

$943

$22,348,900

51

Idaho

$921

$6,996,000

Expert Insights

MoneyGeek spoke with some tax professionals to provide expert insight on what we should all consider regarding unclaimed tax refunds. Here’s what we asked them.

  1. If people don’t claim their unclaimed tax refunds before the final filing deadline, what happens to the money?
  2. Do you have any advice for someone who should have claimed a tax refund that they can no longer claim?
  3. Why might a taxpayer be unable to claim a tax refund when it’s originally due?
  4. What’s the best way to not have a tax refund in the first place?
Varsha Subramanian
Varsha Subramanian

CPA, at FlyFin.tax

Joshua Zimmelman
Joshua Zimmelman

Managing Director of Westwood Tax & Consulting

Beth Logan
Beth Logan

Enrolled Agent and Owner of Kozlog Tax Advisors

Paul T. Joseph
Paul T. Joseph

Attorney and Certified Public Accountant

About Geoff Williams


Geoff Williams headshot

Geoff Williams has been a personal finance journalist since around the time of the Great Recession of 2008. He's been writing professionally since the 1990s about a variety of topics, including personal finance, credit cards and loans.

Williams is also the author of several books, including "Washed Away: How the Great Flood of 1913, America's Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized a Nation and Changed It Forever" and "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America."

Born in Columbus, Williams now lives in Loveland, Ohio, with his two teenage daughters.


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