More stories

  • in

    What to know before you buy a house overseas — and 3 steps to smooth the process

    Almost 40% U.S. millionaires plan on buying a home overseas within the next 12 months, according to the latest Trend Report by Coldwell Banker Global Luxury.
    While it can be a dream to buy a home abroad, many challenges can arise.
    “Living in a country is not the same as spending a lovely three weeks there,” said certified financial planner Jude Boudreaux, a partner and senior financial planner at The Planning Center in New Orleans.

    Courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images

    Mortgages, currency exchange complicates a purchase

    While there may be similarities to the U.S. market when buying a home overseas, there are also unique challenges on the financial side of the purchase.
    Oftentimes, Americans buying properties abroad end up financing the transaction with cash outright, experts say. If you do want to finance your home purchase, assess the options to consider how often you may be exposed to interest rate changes.
    That’s because mortgage structures in foreign countries are more likely to have variable rates, or short terms if they are fixed-rate loans. It is rare to encounter financing options similar to the 30-year fixed rate mortgage, which is a “very American phenomenon,” said Boudreaux, a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council.

    You also have to be mindful of the exchange rate on the foreign currency you will be transacting with, as well as the cost to trade your U.S. dollars. Fluctuations in rates, and the differences in banks’ rates and fees, can make a significant difference in how far your dollars go.
    A bank wire is often the “least expensive way” to exchange currency, and with a large enough bank, they’ll have facilities that can reduce the cost of the foreign transfer like a favorable exchange rate, said Boudreaux.
    But in most cases, the U.S. buyer will need to open a bank account in the country they’re buying real estate. And that process is not always straightforward.
    For one, many banks will refuse to work with U.S. citizens because the Bank Secrecy Act of the U.S. requires foreign entities to report assets, he explained.
    In addition, smaller, regional banks might not be equipped to handle that reporting, so U.S. citizens will generally need to seek larger institutions, Boudreaux said.
    Before you acquire a property outside of the U.S., it’s also important to make sure you have a clear picture of what you will use it for; your tax responsibilities to the foreign country and the U.S. may change depending on that answer.
    Here are three steps experts recommend you take before you become a homeowner overseas:
    1. ‘Do a lot of due diligence’
    When you visit the city or town where you want to buy, make sure to walk around a lot, said Bojan Mujcin, a real estate associate of Sotheby’s International Realty in Barcelona and the nearby region of Costa Brava.
    “Get familiar with the city, get familiar with the streets … do a lot of due diligence,” Mujcin said.
    Rent in that area for a significant time to get a sense of the place before you “buy something on a dream,” said Boudreaux. Doing so can give you a better sense of what it’s like to live in a place.
    You also may want to consider the country’s political environment, as it can be important for the long-term investment value of your property, said Erin Boisson Aries, a global luxury real estate advisor of Douglas Elliman.
    “Less spontaneity and more study is important,” she said. “It’s wonderful to go on vacation and have a wonderful time, but the long-term geopolitical stability is very important.”
    Boudreaux agreed: “There is political risk … and we have to be prepared for what that might entail for our investments.”
    2. ‘Understand what your needs are’
    It will be important for you to “understand what your needs are,” Boisson Aries said.
    “Is this an investment? Are you planning to retire there? Are you planning to visit and rent it out?…You have to really understand the environment you’re purchasing into,” she said.
    For example, if you plan to rent out the property for long- or short-term stays, “zoning very much factors into that,” Boisson Aries said.
    Rules that determine what areas are eligible for short-term rentals can change over time, Boudreaux said.
    “Buying these direct properties for that purpose is something that comes with far more risks than people realize,” he said.
    And if you do decide to use the property for rental or commercial use, you may have additional tax burdens in that country, Boudreaux added.

    3. Contact local experts and expat communities
    “Make sure you have local experts and professionals advising you” when shopping in housing markets outside of the U.S., said Boisson Aries. “There are so many variables that affect each purchase.”
    Such factors can include ownership rights, zoning implications and investment opportunities, she said.
    “You might go over and fall in love with the property, but without really understanding the overall market, all of the other implications to purchasing and ownership, you’re flying a little blindly,” she said. “Just as we’re experts and advisors on the ground in Manhattan … you really do need that level of expertise on the ground.”
    Speak with a legal advisor in the foreign country who can help navigate tax issues and other questions you may have, Sotheby’s Mujcin said.
    “You definitely always need to have some legal support from some type of lawyer in the transaction,” he said.
    It’s also important to find out if there’s an expat community in the country you’re eyeing, Boudreaux said.
    Usually it will consist of other Americans who have gone through a similar process who can provide recommendations and resources, he added.

    Don’t miss these exclusives from CNBC PRO More

  • in

    Biden plans for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations to extend middle-class tax breaks

    President Joe Biden’s top economic advisor Lael Brainard called for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations to pay for expiring middle-class tax breaks.
    Without changes from Congress, several provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 will sunset after 2025.
    Expiring provisions include lower federal income tax brackets, a higher standard deduction and doubled estate and gift tax exemption, among others.

    Director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 11, 2024.
    Drew Angerer | Getty Images

    It’s clear we need to end the 2017 tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and scale back costly permanent corporate tax breaks.

    Lael Brainard
    White House national economic advisor

    The multitrillion dollar tax battle comes amid the ongoing debate over the national debt, and extending the TCJA tax breaks would boost the budget deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
    Trump and other Republicans have pushed for a full extension of expiring TCJA tax breaks, which could add an estimated $4.6 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released this week.

    ‘The stakes could not be higher’

    “As we approach the tax debate next year, the stakes could not be higher for the fairness of our tax system and our nation’s fiscal future,” Brainard said.
    Renewing Biden’s pledge for “tax fairness,” she said the administration aims to extend expiring TCJA provisions for middle-class Americans. Those extensions would be funded by raising taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations.
    Brainard said the original legislation primarily benefited the wealthiest Americans and “the trickle-down never happened.”
    “Achieving a fairer tax system also means we can’t extend expiring Trump tax cuts for those with incomes above $400,000,” she added.
    The administration also wants to quadruple the tax on stock buybacks and add a 25% minimum income tax for billionaires, Brainard said.

    Meanwhile, House Republicans have assembled teams to study and propose solutions to address the upcoming 2025 tax cliff.
    “If the 2017 Trump tax cuts expire an average family of four earning $75,000 would see their taxes increase by $1,500 a year,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., said in an April press release.

    Don’t miss these exclusives from CNBC PRO More

  • in

    Missed the last student loan forgiveness deadline? There may still be other options for relief

    There’s good news for at least some of the student loan borrowers who missed the April 30 deadline to qualify for quicker debt forgiveness: They may still be eligible for other relief options.
    Here’s what to know.

    Tim Robberts | Stone | Getty Images

    There’s good news for at least some of the student loan borrowers who missed the April 30 deadline to qualify for quicker debt forgiveness: They may still be eligible for other relief options.
    Borrowers with multiple student loans who requested a so-called loan consolidation by the end of April 30 — a move that combined their federal student loans into one new federal loan — are able to get their debt sooner than they would have otherwise.

    For some, that cancellation will be immediate.
    More from Personal Finance:Just 4% of current retirees say they are ‘living the dream,’ survey findsThis is the best time for a Roth individual retirement account conversionWriting a will is crucial: It’s ‘not just a question about finances,’ expert says
    The temporary policy allowed borrowers who consolidated to get a one-time adjustment on their payment count. They earned credit toward all their loans based on the one they had been making payments on the longest. To qualify, borrowers just had to be enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan, which, after 10, 20 or 25 years, depending on the plan, leads to debt cancellation.
    It was an especially good opportunity for those who had been paying off their student loans for many years and had returned to school and graduated in more recent years, because now all those loans could be soon forgiven.
    If you missed that deadline, you may still be eligible for relief.

    Here’s what to know.

    You could still try to consolidate

    There’s no guarantee, but you may still qualify for the Biden administration’s loan consolidation account adjustment, if you can manage to apply for a consolidation and complete the process quickly, explained higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.
    “Borrowers who missed the April 30 deadline may be out of luck,” Kantrowitz said. “However, maybe not.”
    Here’s his reasoning: Borrowers had to apply for a consolidation by that deadline. But the process, which can take up to 60 days, didn’t need to be complete by then.
    As a result, it’s possible the U.S. Department of Education will wait until the beginning of July to figure out borrowers’ new forgiveness timelines.
    “So, if the borrower applies for a consolidation now, and the consolidation is completed quickly, and the borrower is really lucky, maybe the payment account adjustment will still apply,” Kantrowitz said.
    “There is no guarantee that this will happen,” he said. “But, maybe it will.”
    The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    But consolidation isn’t a smart move for all borrowers.
    Usually, doing so restarts a borrowers’ forgiveness timeline. So borrowers who have made it close to the end of their student loan forgiveness timeline may not want to risk consolidating their loans, Kantrowitz cautioned.
    Other risks that come with consolidating your loans include the capitalization of interest and a new, longer repayment term, he added.

    Other student loan forgiveness options to know about

    You may still be eligible for other relief options.
    If you’re not already enrolled in a program that leads to student loan forgiveness, you can find “great information” on the Department of Education’s website, Studentaid.gov, about the different opportunities, said Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit.
    Two of the most popular debt cancellation avenues are the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which leads to a debt jubilee after a decade of payments for qualifying workers, and the income-driven repayment plans.
    Those plans, which cap a borrowers’ monthly bill at a share of their discretionary income, lead to debt erasure after 10 to 25 years of payments. There are currently four different plans, each with different rules.

    Don’t miss these exclusives from CNBC PRO

    But there are also “over 100 other forgiveness programs out there to explore,” said Mayotte in an earlier interview with CNBC.
    “Many are offered by states looking to encourage certain types of employment, such as health care and public defenders,” she said.
    Mayotte’s website, FreeStudentLoanAdvice.org, has a database of these programs, she said.
    Meanwhile, after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden’s sweeping student loan forgiveness plan last June, his administration began working on a revised, more targeted relief plan. People could see that aid later this year, if the program survives legal challenges this time. More

  • in

    Could your buy now, pay later loans affect your credit score? Here’s what you need to know

    Up until now, buy now, pay later loans have been notoriously difficult to track.
    Because BNPL lenders generally don’t report to the major credit reporting companies, it’s hard to know exactly how much of this debt is currently out there.
    That may be about to change now that Apple started reporting BNPL data to Experian.

    Buy now, pay later options are seemingly everywhere lately. But there’s one place they’re notable absent: your credit report.
    Up until now, installment payments have largely gone undetected, primarily because most lenders don’t report their customers’ loan information and payment history to the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

    That has made buy now, pay later debt especially hard to track, and raised concerns that consumers are getting in over their heads, some experts say — even more than with credit cards, which are simpler to account for, despite sky-high interest rates.
    Earlier this year, Apple became the first major BNPL provider to start reporting all user account information to a credit reporting agency. Providers including AfterPay, Affirm and Klarna already report some loans to the credit bureaus and experts say more are likely to follow, paving the way for a consumer’s BNPL history to factor into their credit history and ultimately their credit score.
    “Apple beginning to report to Experian is the tipping point,” said Liz Pagel, senior vice president of consumer lending at TransUnion.

    BNPL has been operating in ‘stealth mode’

    Buy now, pay later, which typically splits a purchase into a few interest-free payments, is one of the fastest-growing categories in consumer finance, according to a report by Wells Fargo. (Walmart’s majority-owned fintech startup One is also now making a big push into installment loans.)
    From January through April of this year, BNPL drove $25.9 billion in online spending, Adobe Analytics’ latest shopping data found. That’s a 12% year-over-year increase on the heels of a record-breaking holiday season.

    And yet, “BNPL does this in de facto stealth mode,” Tim Quinlan, senior economist at Wells Fargo, recently told CNBC.
    “Because no central repository exists for monitoring it, growth of this ‘phantom debt’ could imply total household debt levels are actually higher than traditional measures,” he said.

    How BNPL data can be used in credit scoring

    Once BNPL lenders provide data to the credit bureaus, it can then also be fed to companies like FICO and VantageScore, which can use it to calculate credit scores. (One of the main aspects of a credit score comes down to your history of paying bills on time.)
    “We are actively in the process of obtaining and analyzing BNPL data to determine the potential impact that this data could have on the FICO Score, including whether any changes resulting from the inclusion of BNPL data truly reflects a difference in consumer credit risk,” said Ethan Dornhelm, FICO’s vice president of scores and predictive analytics. 

    How BNPL credit reporting could help consumers

    Incorporating pay-later loans into the reporting system would be especially helpful because it could give other lenders a better understanding of a consumer’s credit risk, based on their history of repaying the loans on time, according to TransUnion’s Pagel.
    For shoppers, the ability to demonstrate a track record of paying these loans as agreed “will enable potentially millions of consumers a chance to improve their credit score and get access to additional credit products including credit cards, auto loans and eventually even a mortgage,” said VantageScore’s president and CEO, Silvio Tavares.
    More from Personal Finance:Americans can’t stop ‘spaving’ — how to avoid this financial trapDon’t believe these money misconceptionsAmericans are ‘doom spending’ 
    Generally speaking, the higher your credit score, the better off you are when it comes to getting a loan. You’re more likely to be approved, and if you’re approved, you may qualify for a lower interest rate.
    “That is incredibly beneficial,” Tavares said.
    Credit reporting of BNPL activity could be especially helpful for those on the edge of establishing credit or who are currently “credit invisible,” experts say — perhaps even more than other payment reporting programs that allow users to build credit based on rent-paying habits, banking activity, and payments for streaming services, electric bills and cellphone plans. 
    “This could be the biggest financial inclusion opportunity of a generation,” Pagel said. “These are data points on consumers that need more data points.”

    When BNPL credit reporting could sting

    Not everyone is going to get a boost from all of this information sharing.
    BNPL users skew younger and on the lower end of the income spectrum, according to Bank of America Institute’s recent study on buy now, pay later.
    Overall, nearly half of households that used this payment method in March earned less than $50,000 a year, the report found. Alternatively, households earning more than $125,000 are tapping BNPL less and less.
    “They may have higher discretionary income and they might not be as attracted to the value proposition,” said Joe Wadford, an economist at Bank of America Institute and co-author of the report.
    Installment buying encourages consumers to spend more than they can afford, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City study. Nearly 20% of buy now, pay later users have also fallen behind on a payment, another report from Bankrate found — a misstep that, if reported to the credit bureaus, could potentially ding their credit score.
    Further, because most buy now, pay later plans are short-term loans, they could lower the average age of your credit history — another important factor that could hurt your score.

    Don’t miss these exclusives from CNBC PRO More

  • in

    Op-ed: My kids have credit cards and yours should, too

    Children under 18 cannot apply for their own credit cards, but they typically can be added to their parents’ accounts as authorized users and be issued a card.
    Adding your child as an authorized user on your credit cards can be a smart way to set them up for financial success.
    While it may seem scary to give kids that kind of spending power, it actually helps them learn to handle money responsibly while you still have oversight and can see what they are doing. 

    I remember my first credit card.
    My parents added me to their Visa Gold card when I was around 13 years old. 

    My mom specifically told me that it was for emergencies, or if I had permission beforehand to use it. She thought it was a way to help her daughter in case she needed money, but what she didn’t know then was that it also helped me learn how to handle credit early in life. 
    Now, my three kids — ages 15, 12 and 10 — have had credit cards since before they entered kindergarten. 

    More from CNBC’s Advisor Council

    They are far from alone. Six million American parents have at least one minor child with a credit card, according to a 2019 CreditCards.com poll. 
    Children under 18 cannot apply for their own cards, but they can be added to their parents’ accounts as authorized users and be issued a card. Some banks, such as Chase and Citi, do not have a minimum age requirement for authorized users. Others, such as American Express, require authorized users to be at least 13 years old. 
    Adding your child as an authorized user on your credit cards can be a smart way to set them up for financial success. Let’s talk about why it is a good idea.

    Why your kid should be an authorized user

    Adding your kids to your account allows them to make purchases with the card but you still are responsible for what they spend. While it may seem scary to give kids that kind of spending power, it actually helps them learn how to handle money responsibly while you still have oversight and can see what they are doing. 
    I keep my kids’ credit cards safe and have shown my teen how to store his cards in his phone’s Apple Pay.
    We pull my younger kids’ credit cards out at least once a year to help pay for their expenses such as school PTA donations, tutoring costs and teachers’ gifts. I even have them take their credit card to school to buy some items at the school book fair. 
    This gives them a chance to use and practice smart spending and careful handling of their credit card. 

    With your help, your child can pay off their spending balances each month and learn how quickly those small purchases add up. 
    Giving your child a credit card should be a way to encourage conversations about money, setting spending priorities and budgeting. It may also help them begin to build their own credit history, so it will help them when applying for their own card or other type of credit in the future. Not all cards report activity to the credit bureau on authorized users who are minors.
    And don’t forget that their spending will add to your credit card rewards. 

    How to avoid authorized user pitfalls

    Yes, when you make your child an authorized user with their own credit card, you will lose some control over your child’s spending and you will need to strike a balance between trust and oversight. If a kid misuses the card, you could be stuck with a big bill and even have your own credit rating hurt. 
    Here is how to navigate those risks:
    Set some ground rules and pay close attention: Make sure you are clear with your kids about what they can and cannot use the card for. Here are some topics to discuss: 

    How much can they spend each month? 
    What items are they allowed to buy and at which stores? 
    Do they need to get your permission before each purchase? 
    How will they pay off the balance at the end of each month?
    How long will they remain authorized users?  
    What are the consequences if they violate your rules? 

    Open, early, comfortable money conversations can go a long way in building out a healthy relationship with money for you and your kids. 

    Add your child, but keep hold of the card: Your children do not necessarily need to use the authorized user credit card or even have possession of it for it to build their credit history. You can add their names to a credit card account but hold onto the authorized user cards to prevent any mishaps. 
    This strategy does not help them build good credit habits or provide access to funds in an emergency — it may only create credit profiles for them. 
    Put guardrails in place: As a middle ground to help your child build good habits while limiting your exposure, you can have your credit card issuer set lower credit limits on the authorized user cards. 
    — By Winnie Sun, co-founder and managing director of Irvine, California-based Sun Group Wealth Partners. She is also a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council. More

  • in

    Social Security Administration to expand access to certain benefits through several upcoming changes

    Supplemental Security Income benefits have not been updated in years.
    Several rule changes to take effect in September are aimed at improving access to benefits and increase payment amounts.

    Kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images

    The Social Security Administration is set to implement new rules to make it easier for beneficiaries to access certain benefits and increase the payments some may receive.
    The new changes affect Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, which provides more than 7 million Americans with monthly benefit checks. Those benefits are for seniors ages 65 and up, or adults and children who are disabled or blind, and who have little or no income or resources.

    “We already know that the benefit amounts that are available to people receiving SSI are incredibly low,” said Lydia Brown, director of public policy at the National Disability Institute.
    “They’re not as high as perhaps they could be to fully account for the needs that people have,” Brown said.
    More from Personal Finance:As Social Security’s funds face insolvency, here’s what to watchWhy most of Warren Buffett’s wealth came after age 65Advice about 401(k) rollovers is poised for a big change. Here’s why
    The maximum federal monthly SSI benefit is currently $943 per eligible individual and $1,415 for an eligible individual and eligible spouse.
    The changes, which are slated to go into effect Sept. 30, are a “positive move in the right direction,” Brown said.

    Updates to definition of public-assistance household

    The agency on Thursday announced a new rule to expand the definition of a public-assistance household. Now, households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments and those where not all members receive public assistance will be included.
    With the change, more people may qualify for SSI, current beneficiaries may see higher payments and individuals who live in public-assistance households may have fewer reporting requirements, according to the Social Security Administration.
    The previous policy required all household members to receive public assistance.
    A public-assistance household will be defined as one with both an SSI applicant or beneficiary, as well as at least one other member who receives one or more forms of means-tested public income maintenance payments.
    “By simplifying our policies and including an additional program geared towards low-income families, such as the SNAP, we are removing significant barriers to accessing SSI,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “These changes promote greater equity in our programs.”

    The definition of a public-assistance household has not been updated in a very long time, according to Darcy Milburn, director of Social Security and health-care policy at The Arc, a nonprofit organization serving people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
    “I would characterize this as just good policy and commonsense changes to update this definition,” Milburn said.
    What’s more, there are many ways in which SSI is still operating under rules devised in the 1980s, said Brown of the National Disability Institute.
    SNAP is the first public income maintenance benefit to be added to the public-assistance household definition since 1980, according to the Social Security Administration.

    Other rule changes to help beneficiaries

    The Social Security Administration is also working to address outdated practices through two other rules that are set to go into effect on Sept. 30.
    One change will expand the SSI rental subsidy policy to make it less likely that renting at a discounted rate or other rental assistance will affect a beneficiary’s SSI eligibility or monthly payment amount. That policy, which was already available in seven states, will apply nationally.
    Another change will make it so the SSA no longer counts food assistance toward support beneficiaries receive from other parties that may reduce their SSI benefit amounts.

    The Social Security Administration keeps track of the resources SSI beneficiaries receive outside of their federal benefits, formally known as in-kind support and maintenance, or ISM.
    The purpose of ISM is to reduce SSI benefits if a recipient receives support from family and friends by treating that as unearned income, Milburn said.
    That support can reduce an individual’s monthly benefit by as much as one-third, Milburn said. And because the SSA keeps track of that support every month, it’s a lot for the agency to monitor, she said.
    When the changes go into effect this fall, SSI beneficiaries should notice they have less paperwork to fill out, receive more accurate monthly payments and are faced with fewer administrative burdens, Milburn said.

    Don’t miss these exclusives from CNBC PRO More

  • in

    Chinese EV maker Zeekr prices IPO at $21, at the top end of range, reports say

    A Zeekr 001 electric vehicle (EV) by Geely is seen displayed at the Zeekr booth during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021.
    Aly Song | Reuters

    Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr priced its initial public offering at $21 a share Thursday, at the top end of its range, according to news reports.
    The company will sell 21 million American depository shares to raise $441 million when it begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday under the ticker ZK, Reuters and Bloomberg News reported, citing sources familiar. The offering sits at the top of Zeekr’s expected range of $18 to $21 a share, revealed in an F-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month.

    Zeekr, which is backed by Chinese-based automotive group Geely, offers several luxury vehicle models, including an upscale sedan it began delivering in January. Geely will have more than 50% of the company’s voting power after the IPO is complete.
    “Through developing and offering next-generation premium BEVs and technology-driven solutions, we aspire to lead the electrification, intelligentization and innovation of the automobile industry,” the company said in its SEC filing.
    Zeekr could pose big competition for Tesla, which it reportedly outpaced in car sales in the province of Zhejiang, China, during the first three weeks of April. The province is where its parent company is based.
    “Our sales gap with Tesla keeps on narrowing,” Zeekr CEO Andy An told CNBC in an interview last month translated from Mandarin. He said the company plans to expand in Europe and Latin America this year, and it already sells vehicles in Sweden and the Netherlands.
    According to the regulatory filing, Zeekr posted $7.28 billion in revenue for 2023 and a loss of $1.16 billion. The company also said it delivered 16,089 units in April.

    Zeekr has said it plans to use the proceeds from the offering to develop more advanced battery electric vehicle technologies. Funds will also be used for selling and marketing purposes, such as growing its charging, along with general corporate needs.
    Underwriters of the deal include Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and China International Capital. More

  • in

    IRS reminder: Time to claim $1 billion in tax refunds from 2020 expires on May 17

    There is $1 billion in unclaimed 2020 tax refunds and the deadline to collect the money is approaching.
    Nearly 940,000 taxpayers have until May 17 to file 2020 returns and claim their refund.
    Pending 2020 refunds could include pandemic relief, such as the recovery rebate credit for those who didn’t receive a stimulus check.

    Andresr | E+ | Getty Images

    There is $1 billion in unclaimed 2020 tax refunds up for grabs — but the last chance to file returns and collect the money is approaching.
    Nearly 940,000 taxpayers have until May 17 to file 2020 returns and claim their refund, the IRS said in a “final reminder” this week. The median possible payment is $932, according to the agency.

    The deadline is “terribly important” because there’s a three-year refund expiration after each tax deadline, said certified public accountant John Karls, partner at accounting firm Armanino.
    More from Personal Finance:Just 4% of current retirees say they are ‘living the dream,’ survey findsThis is the best time for a Roth individual retirement account conversionInterest rates on federal student loans may increase by 1 percentage point
    The 2020 tax deadline was postponed to May 17, 2021, amid the pandemic — and the three-year deadline to file 2020 returns and collect refunds is now one week away.
    “If you let if you let it slip, there’s nothing anybody can do,” said Bill Smith, national director of tax technical services at financial services firm CBIZ MHM. “You won’t get your refund when the statute of limitations has run out.”

    You won’t get your refund when the statute of limitations has run out.

    Bill Smith
    national director of tax technical services at CBIZ MHM

    Plus, “2020 was the year of with additional tax breaks or credits” for certain filers, noted Karls.  

    That could include the recovery rebate credit — a nonrefundable tax break for eligible filers who didn’t receive economic impact payments, also known as “stimulus checks,” linked to coronavirus relief. 
    If you’re eligible for relief and don’t file your return by May 17, you’re “truly leaving dollars on the table,” Karls added.

    There’s a ‘roadmap’ for past returns

    If you still haven’t filed 2020 returns and are feeling overwhelmed by where to begin, the IRS has tools to make the process easier, according to Karls.
    You can log into your free IRS online account to access your wage and income transcripts, which include your certain tax forms. This will include Forms W-2, 1098, 1099 and 5498.
    “For many taxpayers, this is by far the quickest and easiest option” for collecting missing information, according to the IRS.
    “That’s going to give a roadmap” and let you know if you need to contact a past employer, Karls said. But it may take time to collect the missing forms, so you should start the process as soon as possible, he said.
    You can also collect missing tax forms online via your bank or other financial institutions. More