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Unclaimed Federal Tax Refunds for Tax Year 2012
State-by-State breakout of possibly forfeited refund money

March 12, 2016

 

The IRS is holding more than $950 million that was never sent to more than 1 million taxpayers.

The reason? Those folks didn’t file tax year 2012 returns to claim their refunds.

Below just how much unclaimed money is due taxpayers in all 50 state and the District of Columbia.

State or District

Estimated

Number of

Individuals

Median

Potential

Refund

Total

Potential

Refunds

Alabama

18,700

$713

$16,684,000

Alaska

4,700

$834

$5,019,000

Arizona

26,000

$631

$22,078,000

Arkansas

10,100

$692

$8,987,000

California

94,900

$656

$82,782,000

Colorado

19,300

$667

$16,961,000

Connecticut

11,800

$803

$11,511,000

Delaware

4,200

$771

$4,012,000

District of Columbia

3,600

$741

$3,343,000

Florida

64,700

$721

$58,598,000

Georgia

34,300

$642

$29,395,000

Hawaii

6,500

$740

$6,091,000

Idaho

4,400

$607

$3,652,000

Illinois

40,300

$782

$38,893,000

Indiana

22,000

$751

$20,448,000

Iowa

10,800

$764

$9,917,000

Kansas

11,000

$699

$9,811,000

Kentucky

13,500

$746

$12,122,000

Louisiana

20,600

$726

$19,767,000

Maine

4,100

$651

$3,432,000

Maryland

22,600

$722

$21,108,000

Massachusetts

20,600

$767

$19,714,000

Michigan

34,600

$733

$32,118,000

Minnesota

15,200

$657

$12,981,000

Mississippi

10,800

$646

$9,325,000

Missouri

22,800

$675

$19,886,000

Montana

3,500

$669

$3,083,000

Nebraska

5,400

$695

$4,720,000

Nevada

12,500

$704

$11,280,000

New Hampshire

4,400

$804

$4,284,000

New Jersey

30,600

$803

$30,016,000

New Mexico

7,700

$715

$7,181,000

New York

57,600

$796

$56,310,000

North Carolina

29,700

$619

$24,469,000

North Dakota

2,600

$831

$2,682,000

Ohio

37,300

$717

$33,321,000

Oklahoma

18,500

$744

$17,411,000

Oregon

15,700

$620

$12,820,000

Pennsylvania

40,200

$796

$38,243,000

Rhode Island

3,200

$777

$3,014,000

South Carolina

12,500

$633

$10,648,000

South Dakota

2,800

$785

$2,707,000

Tennessee

19,700

$702

$17,318,000

Texas

96,400

$771

$93,998,000

Utah

7,400

$640

$6,316,000

Vermont

2,000

$698

$1,689,000

Virginia

29,000

$698

$26,297,000

Washington

26,100

$764

$25,292,000

West Virginia

5,100

$800

$4,870,000

Wisconsin

12,900

$647

$10,837,000

Wyoming

2,700

$851

$2,908,000

Totals

1,037,600

$718

$950,349,000

If you think some of this unclaimed tax cash is yours, be sure to file your 2012 by April 18, 2016 (April 19 in Maine and Massachusetts). Miss this deadline and your forever forfeit your refund.

Find out more on these overlooked 2012 filings in this story.

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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