COLUMBUS -- Sen. Sherrod Brown's office says nearly 2,500 Ohioans have yet to claim tax refunds owed to them by the IRS.

There are more than 250 refund checks waiting for Northwest Ohio taxpayers.  Invalid or out-of-date mailing addresses have caused the checks to be returned by the U.S. Postal Service.

Sen. Brown urges Ohioans to update their mailing addresses so that they can receive their unclaimed checks.  "With family budgets already stretched thin, Ohioans should not miss out on refunds they're owed." He asks that Ohio residents who have not received checks to contact the IRS to determine if there is a check waiting for them.

Any Ohio taxpayer who has not received their tax refund check can visit the "Where's My Refund?" page at the IRS website or call 1-800-829-1040.

Local counties and the number of unclaimed checks in each:
Defiance - 2
Erie - 12
Fulton - 8
Hancock - 14
Henry - 5
Huron - 8
Lucas - 99
Ottawa - 8
Paulding - 3
Putnam - 6
Sandusky - 7
Seneca - 7
Van Wert - 4
Williams - 4
Wood - 21
Wyandot - 2