If you did not file a tax return for 2010, you may be one of over 900,000 taxpayers who may be due a refund from that year. If you are, you must claim your share of almost $760 million by the April 15 tax deadline. To claim your refund, you must file a 2010 federal income tax return. Here are the facts you need to know about unclaimed refunds:

• The unclaimed refunds apply to people who did not file a federal income tax return for 2010. The IRS estimates that half the potential refunds are more than $571.
• Some people, such as students and part-time workers, may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return. They may have a refund waiting if they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments. A refund could also apply if they qualify for certain tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.
• If you didn’t file a 2010 return, the law generally provides a three-year window to claim a refund from that year. For 2010 returns, the window closes on April 15, 2014.
• The law requires that you properly address, mail and postmark your tax return by that date to claim your refund.
• If you don’t file a claim for a refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury. There is no penalty for filing a late return if you are due a refund.
• The IRS may hold your 2010 refund if you have not filed tax returns for 2011 and 2012. The U.S. Treasury will apply the refund to any federal or state tax you owe. It also may use your refund to offset unpaid child support or past due federal debts such as student loans.
• If you’re missing Forms W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5498 for prior years, you should ask for copies from your employer, bank or other payer. If you can’t get copies, get a free transcript showing that information by going to IRS.gov. You can also file Form 4506-T to get a transcript.
• The three-year window also usually applies to a refund from an amended return. In general, you must file Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, within three years from the date you filed your original tax return. You can also file it within two years from the date you paid the tax, if that date is later than the three-year rule. That means the deadline for most people to amend their 2010 tax return and claim a refund will expire on April 15, 2014.

Current and prior year tax forms and instructions are available on IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Additional IRS Resources:

• IRS Has $760 Million for People Who Have Not Filed a 2010 Income Tax Return

You normally must pay income tax on your investment income. That is also true for a child who must file a federal tax return. If a child can’t file his or her own return, their parent or guardian is normally responsible for filing their tax return.

Special tax rules apply to certain children with investment income. Those rules may affect the tax rate and the way you report the income.

Here are four facts from the IRS that you should know about your child’s investment income:

1. Investment income normally includes interest, dividends and capital gains. It also includes other unearned income, such as from a trust.
2. Special rules apply if your child’s total investment income is more than $2,000. Your tax rate may apply to part of that income instead of your child’s tax rate.
3. If your child’s total interest and dividend income was less than $10,000 in 2013, you may be able to include the income on your tax return. If you make this choice, the child does not file a return. Form 8814, Parents’ Election to Report Child’s Interest and Dividends.
4. Children whose investment income was $10,000 or more in 2013 must file their own tax return. File Form 8615, Tax for Certain Children Who Have Investment Income, along with the child’s federal tax return.

   Starting in 2013, a child whose tax is figured on Form 8615 may be subject to the Net Investment Income Tax. NIIT is a 3.8% tax on the lesser of either net investment income or the excess of the child’s modified adjusted gross income that is over a threshold amount. Use Form 8960, Net Investment Income Tax, to figure this tax. For more on this topic, visit IRS.gov.

For more on this topic, see Publication 929, Tax Rules for Children and Dependents. Visit IRS.gov to get this booklet and IRS forms. You may also have them mailed to you by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Additional IRS Resources:

• Tax Topic 553 – Tax on a Child’s Investment Income
• Find out if Net Investment Income Tax applies to you
• Questions and Answers on the Net Investment Income Tax
• 1040 Central