Think about it: you worked all year, taxes were withheld from every paycheck, and then you never filed your return. The money the government owed you sat waiting in an account nobody claimed. Until, one day, the clock hit zero and that money stopped being yours forever.
That happened to more than a million people. On March 20, 2026, the IRS published its release IR-2026-37 with the figure: about $1.2 billion in tax year 2022 refunds were never claimed. On April 15, 2026, the deadline to claim them expired, and by law that money went to the U.S. Treasury. But if your story is similar — if you didn’t file 2023 — you’re still in time. Here are the official figures, the warning the IRS keeps repeating, and what to do step by step.
The painful figure: 1,322,600 people
According to the IRS’s official table, 1,322,600 people never filed their 2022 federal return. The median refund was $686, which means half of those refunds were larger than that amount. The estimate doesn’t include credits, so the actual amount for many people could have been quite a bit higher.
And there’s a detail many don’t know: if you didn’t file, you probably didn’t claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) either. For 2022, that credit was worth up to $6,935 for taxpayers with qualifying children, and it’s one of the main benefits for low- and moderate-income workers. Those who never filed left on the table both the refund of their withholdings and the credits they were entitled to.
Why the 2022 money can no longer be claimed
The law is clear and the IRS cites it in the release: under section 6511 of the Internal Revenue Code, taxpayers have three years to file their return and claim their refund. If they don’t do it within that period, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.
For tax year 2022, those three years ended on April 15, 2026. That train has left. But there’s another one still at the station.
The next clock: 2023 expires on April 15, 2027
If you didn’t file your 2023 return and you were owed a refund, the deadline runs until April 15, 2027. That’s the date that matters now. And if you didn’t file 2024 either, do both together: the IRS warns that it may hold your refund if you haven’t filed your 2023 and 2024 returns, and that any refund will be applied to outstanding debts — with the IRS, with a state tax agency, unpaid child support, or other past-due federal debts, such as student loans.
The states where the most money went unclaimed speak to the size of the problem in our community:
- California: 143,200 people / $124.7 million
- Texas: 126,000 people / $111.7 million
- Florida: 89,000 people / $74.5 million
- New York: 67,100 people / $62.4 million
How to act: gather your documents and file
The good news is you don’t need to have everything on hand from day one. The IRS itself recommends these ways to get the documents you’re missing:
- Ask your employers or banks for copies: if you’re missing the W-2, 1098, 1099, or 5498 forms from those years, request them from whoever paid you.
- Use the wage and income transcript at IRS.gov: with the free “Get Transcript Online” tool you can see the data the IRS already received from your employers — for many people, this is the fastest and simplest way.
- Form 4506-T: another option is to request a wage and income transcript in writing, but it can take several weeks. The IRS recommends trying the other routes first.
Prior-year forms (like the 2022 1040 and 1040-SR) are available for free at irs.gov or by calling 800-829-3676.
What to do today, in order
- Think about whether you didn’t file 2023 or 2024: if you worked and had taxes withheld, there’s a good chance you have money waiting.
- Gather what you have (W-2, 1099) and request the free wage and income transcript at IRS.gov with “Get Transcript Online” for anything missing.
- File those returns before April 15, 2027, starting with the oldest.
- Don’t let the date pass: the story of the $1.2 billion from 2022 already showed what happens when the clock hits zero.
This content is informational and is not tax or legal advice. For your particular case, consult the official sources or an authorized professional.
Related reading:
Official sources:
Comentarios