More than 30 people who currently or recently lived in the Mankato region have a check waiting for them, courtesy of the IRS.

The Internal Revenue Service is looking for Minnesota taxpayers who are due to receive a combined $1.3 million in the form of 1,290 federal refund checks that were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service with mailing address errors.

“We want to get this money into taxpayers’ hands as quickly as possible,” said Carrie Resch, IRS spokeswoman. “If you discover you’re missing a refund, update your address with the IRS. The sooner you do, the quicker you can get your money.”

Some taxpayers are due more than one check. However, a taxpayer only needs to update his or her address once. The IRS will then send out all checks due. Undeliverable refund checks for Minnesotans average $1,009 this year, compared to $778 last year.

Nationally, 107,831 taxpayers are due to receive a combined $124 million in returned refund checks. Those average $1,148 this year, compared to $990 last year.

Taxpayers can update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. The tool enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds and, in some cases, provides instructions on how to resolve delivery problems. To use “Where’s My Refund?” a taxpayer needs his or her Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 return.

Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.

Following are people whose last known residence was in the nine-county area who have an unclaimed tax refund check waiting for them:

Diana Recker, Codi L. Abdo, Scott E. Barrett, Andrew C. Brightman, Aaron Foreman, Jamelle Gentry, Andrew R. Hagen, Victoria A. Hagen, Samuel C. Hopp, Charles J. Kietzer, William R. Shackleton, Anthony P. Tautges, Martin Walgenbach, all of Mankato.

Martin Antonio Galvez Castro, Christopher G. Peterson, C & I Alarcon Garcia Ruiz Vazquez, James C. Thompson, Johnathon T. Traxler, all of St. Peter.

Kevin and Sarah Zabel, Blue Earth.

Duane Johnson, Bricelyn.

Sheila Legried, Frost.

Andre D. Johnson, Le Center.