Act now or lose it: The IRS warns $1.2 billion in overdue tax refunds will expire this month. Here's how to claim yours

Time is winding down for Americans to cod connected the tiny luck they’re owed successful unpaid 2022 taxation refunds. And erstwhile it strikes midnight connected April 16, taxpayers volition suffer that wealth for good.

While astir Americans are focused connected getting their 2025 taxes done, the IRS says (1) it’s sitting connected $1.2 cardinal successful unclaimed refunds from 2022. The three-year grace play for filing taxation returns means that, arsenic of this April 15, immoderate 2022 refunds instrumentality to the authorities coffers.

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The IRS warned that implicit 1.3 cardinal Americans failed to record their 2022 returns, resulting successful the cardinal dollar refund backup. The median idiosyncratic 2022 refund amounts to $686, they note, with California starring the federation with astir $125 cardinal successful overdue payouts. Texas follows with much than $111 cardinal owed and Florida places 3rd with upwards of $74 cardinal owed to taxpayers.

In addition, the authorities said the 2022 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), for little and moderate-income workers who qualify, could adhd up to astir $7,000 connected apical of the refund amount.

The EITC threshold starts astatine an yearly idiosyncratic wage of $16,480 — oregon $22,610 for a joined mates who record jointly — without children who qualify. It tin use to idiosyncratic salaries up to $53,057, and jointly filed salaries of $59,187, depending connected the fig of children who qualify.

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Americans who neglect to record taxation returns “miss retired connected an mean refund of astir $2,900,” according to H&R Block (2). And a 2025 TurboTax survey (3) recovered that a 4th of Americans procrastinate doing their taxes, portion 27% claimed the process is “worse than getting a basal canal.”

For those consenting to endure the process to assertion their portion of the $1.2 cardinal successful 2022 refunds astatine stake, the IRS says you tin petition immoderate missing W-2, 1098, 1099 oregon 5498 forms by:

• Visiting the “Get your taxation records and transcripts” leafage connected the authoritative IRS website and submitting your request.

• Requesting the forms from your employer/former leader oregon bank.

• Filling retired Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return (though the IRS recommends this arsenic a past edifice due to the fact that it could instrumentality “several weeks” to process the request).