Avoid Delays in Receiving Refund Checks for Tax Year 2008

U.S citizen taxpayers in the Shanghai Consular District are reminded that they can often avoid unnecessary delays in receiving their tax refund checks from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) http://www.irs.gov/. Taxpayers who have a checking, savings or IRA account with a bank or other financial institution in the U.S. are encouraged to fill in boxes 73(a)(b)(c) of Form 1040 with routing and account number information.  This allows the IRS to electronically transfer any refund due to you directly into your account, a process that is much faster, safer and more convenient than the alternative.  Non-electronic refunds must first be printed on checks, and then mailed to the Consulate in Shanghai where they must be re-addressed by hand and sent via registered mail to the taxpayer’s home address – a process that can add many months to the waiting time for a refund.  (Additional information can be found in Form 1040 Instruction booklets available at the Consulate).