Gripe about paying your taxes? If so, you are one of millions of Americans. The odd thing, of course, is millions of us also fail to get the tax refunds we are do! Could you use some extra money to pay taxes and bills this year? You might want to look through your records to your 2003 tax return. If you were due a tax refund, did you actually get it? You might be surprised to learn that many people don�t. In fact, over 1.8 million people failed to claim billions of dollars in refunds for 2003. 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? You are probably wondering how so many people could leave tax refunds at the IRS. It is often a matter of record keeping. Most of us make mistakes here and there and they add up. 1. Some taxpayers don�t file because they don�t think they made enough money. 2. You worked multiple jobs and forgot to include some of the taxes collected by an employer. 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. You accidentally made to quarterly payments instead of one. 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! 2003 may seem like a long time ago, but a trip to the past can be profitable. If you could use an extra grand, and who can�t, you may be able to get it by checking your records for the year. Don�t assume you received a refund. Make sure. You might just be surprised.