Thousands of wildfire victims are having tax refunds sent back - Here's how to get your money

Wildfire victims' relief checks getting returned

People who lost their homes in the California wildfires may be owed some money from the county. The county is mailing out checks, but thousands of checks are being returned. LA County Assessor Jeff Prang tells you how you can get your money.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - If you lost your home in the Palisades or Eaton fires earlier this year, Los Angeles County may owe you some money. The county has started sending out checks, but thousands are being sent back.

FOX 11 spoke with LA County Assessor Jeff Prang about how you can make sure you get your money.

Who is eligible for a wildfire tax refund?

The backstory:

The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures between the Pacific Palisades, Pasadena and Altadena communities. 

After the fires, the Assessor's Office re-evaluated the value of properties in the disaster zones. Many properties saw their value lowered, entitling owners to tax refunds. 

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Thousands of checks have already gone out, but fire victims can also apply for relief on the Assessor's website, assessor.lacounty.gov.

How can I get the money?

Dig deeper:

The County Auditor-Controller has already sent out thousands of checks to those who are entitled to some money, but there's one big problem. In many cases, the address of record is the destroyed property, so the Post Office is sending the checks back, marking them undeliverable.

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Prang says they've already gotten some of the checks back, and he expects thousands more to follow. 

The fix is simple. All you have to do is update your mailing address on the Assessor's Office website at assessor.lacounty.gov/homeowners/change-mailing-address.