Unclaimed Federal Tax Refunds for Tax Year 2020

March 25, 2024

State-by-State breakout of possibly forfeited refund money

The Internal Revenue Service is holding a vast amount of money in 2024 in old, unclaimed tax refunds. Once again, it is more than $1 billion that was never sent to almost 940,000 across the United States.

The reason? Those folks didn’t ask for it years ago.

They neglected or forgot to file tax year 2020 returns back in 2021 to claim their refunds. They now have until May 17, 2024, to get their money.

Wait, I hear tax-savvy long-time readers asking, why isn’t this unclaimed refunds deadline on this year’s regular Tax Day? Because the legally-mandated three-year window that’s open for claiming old refunds is based on the missing year’s return filing deadline.

In 2021, tax year 2020 returns were once again delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was pushed to May 17, 2021. So the three year opportunity ends on May 17, 2024.

As my blog post on this latest batch of unclaimed refunds notes, tax law starts the three-year claiming deadline on the tax due date, not strictly three calendar years. So, since the 2021 deadline was May 17, the last chance to claim those 2020 tax year refunds is by this May 17.

Miss this May 17, 2024, filing deadline, and Uncle Sam gets to keep the three-year-old refund money. And the tardy filers will never get another chance to get it.

The table below details just how much unclaimed money is due taxpayers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

State or District	Estimated Number of Individuals	Median Potential Refund	Total Potential Refunds*
Alabama	15,200	$926	$16,839,800
Alaska	3,700	$931	$4,335,300
Arizona	25,400	$871	$26,939,600
Arkansas	8,700	$923	$9,392,600
California	88,200	$835	$94,226,300
Colorado	18,500	$894	$20,109,900
Connecticut	9,800	$978	$11,343,600
Delaware	3,600	$945	$4,156,500
District of Columbia	2,900	$968	$3,503,800
Florida	53,200	$891	$58,210,500
Georgia	36,400	$900	$39,175,600
Hawai’i	5,200	$979	$5,972,600
Idaho	4,500	$761	$4,369,600
Illinois	36,200	$956	$40,608,000
Indiana	19,200	$922	$20,893,000
Iowa	9,600	$953	$10,601,700
Kansas	8,700	$900	$9,285,600
Kentucky	10,600	$920	$11,236,300
Louisiana	15,100	$957	$17,357,300
Maine	3,800	$923	$4,030,200
Maryland	22,200	$991	$26,365,400
Massachusetts	21,800	$975	$25,071,800
Michigan	34,900	$976	$38,274,800
Minnesota	13,500	$818	$14,043,900
Mississippi	8,100	$861	$8,685,000
Missouri	19,500	$893	$20,803,400
Montana	3,400	$851	$3,632,100
Nebraska	4,700	$901	$5,007,300
Nevada	10,200	$890	$11,143,900
New Hampshire	4,200	$982	$4,923,100
New Jersey	24,400	$920	$27,408,300
New Mexico	6,500	$868	$7,032,700
New York	51,400	$1,029	$60,837,400
North Carolina	27,500	$895	$29,304,100
North Dakota	2,200	$953	$2,482,600
Ohio	31,400	$909	$32,939,900
Oklahoma	14,300	$902	$15,566,900
Oregon	15,300	$847	$15,857,800
Pennsylvania	38,600	$1,031	$43,412,900
Rhode Island	2,600	$986	$2,980,500
South Carolina	11,900	$840	$12,564,900
South Dakota	2,200	$892	$2,346,300
Tennessee	16,800	$909	$18,007,000
Texas	93,400	$960	$107,130,200
Utah	7,800	$836	$8,191,700
Vermont	1,700	$911	$1,818,600
Virginia	25,900	$914	$28,944,600
Washington	26,200	$976	$31,110,300
West Virginia	3,800	$950	$4,130,400
Wisconsin	11,800	$837	$12,139,400
Wyoming	2,100	$961	$2,416,300
Totals	938,800	$932	$1,037,161,300
			*excluding credits

If you think some of this unclaimed tax cash is yours, be sure to file your 2020 return by May 17, 2024. Or sooner. You don’t have to wait until the last minute. My previously mentioned post has more on how to claim the old money.

And it bears repeating: Miss this deadline and you forever forfeit that three-year-old unclaimed refund.

Posted: Monday, March 25, 2024