Residents who missed the Oct. 15 filing deadline for federal stimulus payments still have a few options to consider, but immediate action is required.

Dan Boone, Internal Revenue Service media specialist for Alabama and Tennessee, said residents who did not file for their stimulus payments yet can still complete the necessary paperwork, but the payment may or may not be processed prior to the new year.

“After Oct. 15 we cannot guarantee they would receive the stimulus payment, but there is a chance if they file the paperwork immediately,” he said. “For anyone who did not get the stimulus payment this year there is a second part to the stimulus package that allows it to be paid out as a credit. Rather than filing now and not knowing if it can be processed in time, they can file it for 2008 and mark it as a credit to next year’s tax return.”

Boone added that, although filing now will not guarantee a check would be in the mail, it will be the best option for some residents to consider.

“There is a difference between the stimulus payment and what we call the rebate recovery credit,” he said. “The payment will be based on income received in 2007, but the credit will be based on your 2008 income. If there is a reason you would be eligible for the payment in 2007 and ineligible in 2008, based on income, then it would be a good idea to file for your rebate now.”

The IRS is also looking for Alabama taxpayers who are missing more than 5,300 economic stimulus checks totaling about $3 million and nearly 1,500 regular refund checks totaling over $1.56 million that were returned by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.

Nationwide, more than 279,000 economic stimulus checks totaling about $163 million and more than 104,000 regular refund checks totaling about $103 million were returned to the IRS. A total of 46 Covington County residents have checks waiting to be mailed to them, but an address correction is needed before the money can be dispersed.

“Just a simple address update will allow the IRS to get this money into the hands of its owners,” said IRS spokesman Dan Boone.

All a taxpayer has to do is update his or her address once. The IRS will then send out all checks due. It is crucial that taxpayers who may be due a stimulus check update their addresses with the IRS by Nov. 28, 2008. By law, economic stimulus checks must be sent out by December 31 of this year. The undeliverable economic stimulus checks average $583.

The “Where’s My Stimulus Payment” tool on IRS.gov is the quickest and easiest way for a taxpayer to check the status of a stimulus check and receive instructions on how to update his or her address. Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234-2942.

Covington County residents who have stimulus payments waiting include:

Glenda B. Anderson,

Jacqueline A. Barber,

John W. and Linda O. Barrington,

Corribrooke Bennett,

James S. and Mary M. Boone,

Vinceal K. Bryant,

Earl Calloway,

Mason and Barbara Myrick Comer,

David W. Cook,

Roger T. Cooper,

Jerad A. Decker, Alphonso Evans,

Mark A. and Kristy V. Lundy Floyd,

Mary A. Gandy,

Richard C. Gibson,

Timothy L. Harrell,

Kathy M. Hazen,

Harold E. and Mary A. Hudson,

Byron S. Hughes,

Lakini Jackson,

Rhonda G. Jackson,

Thomas W. Kyser,

Amada Lacey,

Darin D. Lawson,

Andre Leslie,

Lucas D. and Melissa Martin,

Alejandro and Ashley Mendez,

Benjamin and Carolyn Jackson Moody,

Jacqueline N. Mullins,

Jammie Odom,

Diana M. Owens,

Daniel R. Parker,

Gregory L. Phillips,

George Polson,

Terri-Lynn Ratzlaff,

Sherrie L. Scarbrough,

Dustin E. Segers,

James R. Shepherd,

Jerolynd Smith,

Melanie J. Smith,

Tyris Smith,

Judy A. Stephens,

Hunter F. Straughn,

Thomas D. Thompson Jr.,

Sara E. Tillery,

Willie J. Townsend,

Kristen D. Whitehurst