SAN DIEGO — The Internal Revenue Service is looking for 1,708 Nevada taxpayers who are due to receive a combined $2.2 million in undeliverable tax refunds. These are refund checks that were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.

Eighty percent of the undelivered refunds are owed to taxpayers from Clark County. In northern Nevada, about $400,000 in refunds are outstanding. The list includes 38 filers with last known addresses in Sparks.

A complete list of Nevadans who have tax refunds due to them is listed online at www.dailysparkstribune.com.

Nationally, IRS is looking for 107,831 taxpayers who are owed a combined $124 million.

All a taxpayer has to do is update his or her address once, according to the IRS. Some taxpayers are due more than one check.

“We are eager to get this money into the hands of taxpayers, so don’t delay if you think you are missing a refund,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “The sooner you update your address information, the quicker you can get your refund.”

Average undeliverable refunds rose by 16 percent this year to $1,148 from $990 last year, which is in line with the 16 percent rise in average refunds for all tax returns as of Oct. 16. Several changes in tax law likely played a role in boosting refunds, including the First-Time Homebuyer’s Credit and the Recovery Rebate Credit, among others.

The vast majority of checks mailed out by the IRS each year reach their rightful owner. Only a very small percent (.29 percent this year) are returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.

Taxpayers can avoid being on this list by filing electronically and choosing direct deposit for their refunds. Choosing direct deposit puts an end to lost, stolen or undeliverable checks. As of Oct. 16, 67 percent (94 million) of all individual returns were e-filed while 65 percent (72 million) chose to receive their refunds directly into personal savings or checking accounts. The U.S. Treasury has issued 110 million total refunds so far in 2009.

Taxpayers can update their addresses and check the status of a refund using the “Where’s My Refund?” tool online at www.irs.gov. Taxpayers must submit their Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 return. “Where’s My Refund?” will provide the status of the refund and in some cases provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.