Some Pike County residents could find a little extra cash in their stockings this Christmas thanks to uncollected federal tax refunds.

Dan Boone, Internal Revenue Spokesman, said the IRS is looking to return $2.89 million in undelivered refund checks to Alabamians. Of those, a total of 16 checks worth $17,192 are due Pike County residents.

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

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

In Pike County, undelivered refund checks average $1,075. In Alabama, undelivered refund checks average $1,434 this year, compared to $1,183 last year. Nationwide, the average undelivered refund 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.