Every thought of sending the IRS a nice big thank you note in the form of a thousand dollars or so? Probably not unless you are dating an IRS agent! Well, nearly 2 million taxpayers are about to do that. Over 2 BILLION dollars in unclaimed tax refunds for 2003 are about to permanently become the property of the IRS.

Ever read those lists of the richest people in the world? You know, the billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Well, taxpayers are turning the IRS into a billionaire. They are doing it by failing to claim a couple billion dollars in refunds in 2003. Who would have thought people liked the agency that much?

I get a headache thinking of the things I could do with one billion dollars, much less two. I imagine the IRS feels the same way. Think of all the audits they could fund, but why the surplus?

1. Your employer withdrew taxes from your paycheck, but you didn't file.

2. If you left a salaried job and opened your own business, you can easily overpay.

3. Tax refunds are not forwarded by the postal office if you moved.

4. You got married, changed your name and forgot about taxes collected under your old name.

5. Worked for a short time at a job, but didn't get a W-2? You might have forgotten the taxes.

Expiring. It is a terrible word, but one you need to focus on. You have only 3 years to claim any refunds you are due. Since you filed 2003 taxes on April 15, 2004, the right to get the refund is about to expire. The critical date is April 17th this year, so act fast or lose the money!

Hate paying taxes? Hate preparing your taxes? Well, you are probably starting to really feel that way as April 17th starts to get closer and closer. You can numb the pain, however, by going back and getting your 2003 refund.