IRS: Still $1.5B in unclaimed refunds from pandemic-impacted 2019 tax year, deadline to collect July

The Internal Revenue Service says about $1.5 billion in tax refunds remain unclaimed from the 2019 tax year – and the deadline to collect the money fast approaching.

Taxpayers have until July 17 to submit a return and get the money they are owed, the agency said Wednesday.

The IRS also said the average median refund for that year is $893, according to The Hill newspaper.

Agency Commissioner Danny Werfel said the 2019 tax returns came due during the pandemic, and many people may have overlooked or forgotten about their refunds.

"We want taxpayers to claim these refunds, but time is running out," he said.

The money belongs to about 1.5 million taxpayers. 

The usual three-year window for filing a tax return, then collecting a refund was extended past the April 2024 tax deadline because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Hill also reports.