The Internal Revenue Service reminds Minnesotans who are missing more than 2,700 economic stimulus checks totaling about $1.5 million that they shouldn't let Nov. 28 pass by without updating their address with the IRS.

The stimulus checks sit waiting for an updated address, along with about 1,300 regular tax refund checks from Minnesota totaling $1 million that bounced back to the agency as undeliverable by the postal service.

By law, economic stimulus checks must be sent out by Dec. 31 of this year, so it's critial that taxpayers who may be due a stimulus check update their address soon. The undeliverable economic stimulus checks average $560 in Minnesota.

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.

REGULAR REFUNDS

The regular refund checks that were returned to the IRS average $778 in Minnesota. There isn't a deadline to get these checks; generally, they are reissued as soon as taxpayers update their address.

Taxpayers can update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. It enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds using information from their 2007 return and will prompt taxpayers to update their address, if applicable. The telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” is 1-800-829-1954.

FOR MOST PEOPLE

The vast majority of checks mailed out by the IRS reach their rightful owner every year. Only a very small percent are returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.

Through September 2008, the government distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments with only about 279,000 checks being undeliverable. Meanwhile, the IRS has distributed more than 105 million regular refunds this year with only about 104,000 being undeliverable. In both cases, well under one percent of refunds or stimulus checks were undeliverable.

AVOIDING FUTURE PROBLEMS

The IRS encourages taxpayers to choose direct deposit when they file their return because it puts an end to lost, stolen or undeliverable checks. Taxpayers can receive refunds directly into personal checking or savings accounts. Direct deposit is available for filers of both paper and electronic returns.