2,000 Alabamian Tax Payers Still Owed By IRS

The Internal Revenue Service is looking to return $2.89 million in undelivered refund checks. A total of 2,018 Alabama taxpayers are due one or more refund checks that could not be delivered because of mailing address errors.

"IRS is ready to reissue these checks once the taxpayers give us a correct address," said IRS spokesman Dan Boone. "Taxpayers are warned that e-mails alerting them of pending refunds are not ever from the IRS but are identity-theft scams."

Taxpayers can generally update their address or check the status of their refund with the "Where's My Refund?" tool on IRS.gov or by calling 1-800-829-1954. To use the tool, a taxpayer must submit his or her Social Security number, filing status and the amount of refund shown on the 2009 tax return.

In Alabama, undelivered refund checks average $1,434 this year, compared to $1,183 last year. Nationwide, the average undelivered check is $1,471, compared to $1,148 last year. The increase is possibly due to recent changes in tax law which introduced new credits or expanded existing credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Taxpayers can put an end to lost, stolen or undelivered checks by choosing direct deposit when they file. Taxpayers can use direct deposit when e-filing or filing paper returns, but e-filing significantly reduces filing errors and speeds up refund processing.