Boyfriend's $1,055 Tax Refund Taken by TOP Program (Code 898) - No Notice Received

Thanks so much for the info! I'll have him call that number right away. We had no idea he had any outstanding govt debts. He's been wondering where his refund was.

Had the same exact thing happen to me last year. TOP took my whole refund for an old student loan I thought was in good standing. That hotline number is legit - they'll tell you exactly who got the money.

The TOP system is so frustrating. They take ur money then tell you after! shouldnt they have to notify you BEFORE they just grab your refund???

They're supposed to send a notice, but the offset happens automatically. The system doesn't wait for you to respond to the notice. It's definitely frustrating, but that's how the program works unfortunately.

Happened to my cousin last yr. Call that number asap and be ready to wait on hold for like 30+ minutes. Write down everything they tell you because you'll need to follow up with whatever agency claims the debt.

Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?

It does way more than just read it! You upload your transcript and it breaks down EVERYTHING - all codes, dates, what each action means, what to expect next, and gives you step-by-step instructions for your specific situation. For offsets like this, it tells you exactly who to contact and what to say. It's like having a tax pro instantly analyze your situation without the $300/hr fee. Seriously life-changing tool for tax season.

do you have to give it your personal info? seems kinda sketchy ngl

You just upload the transcript you already downloaded from the IRS. It's way better than posting your financial details on Reddit asking for help from strangers lol. I was dealing with an offset similar to OP and it told me exactly which agency had my money and what my options were.

Just tried it out and WOW! Everyone needs to know about this. It explained my weird 570/971 codes that I've been stressing about for weeks. Told me exactly what's happening and when to expect my refund. THANK YOU for sharing this!

bumping this comment because taxr.ai literally saved me hours of stress trying to figure out what was going on with my transcript. its worth checking out

does this actually work? I've been trying to get through to irs for WEEKS about my offset 😩

100% works. I was super skeptical too but was desperate after trying for 3 days straight and never getting through. With Claimyr I had an agent on the phone within 2 hours. Best money I ever spent considering how much of my refund was on the line.

How much did it cost? Is it worth it?

Honestly when you're talking about potentially thousands in refund money, the service fee is totally worth getting answers immediately instead of waiting weeks or months wondering what happened to your money. For me it was a no-brainer since I needed to get this fixed before bills were due.

This is why I always check the Treasury Offset Program BEFORE I file my taxes now. You can call them anytime to see if you have any debts in the system that might affect your refund. Learned that lesson the hard way!

Smart! I wish I'd known to do that. Would have saved me so much stress and confusion.

I noticed that too which is why I was so confused! He's checked his account multiple times and never received the refund. Could it be that the system showed it as issued but then caught the debt before it actually went out?

That's actually exactly what probably happened. The system initially processed the refund (hence the 846 code) but before it actually hit his bank account, the TOP system flagged the debt. The IRS computer systems don't always talk to each other in real-time, which causes these confusing transcript entries.

The IRS computers are held together with duct tape and prayers at this point 🤣 Not surprised at all that the codes don't make logical sense chronologically

Not always true. They're supposed to send notice but I've had offsets happen with no notice at all. The agencies are supposed to notify you about the debt before it goes to TOP, but the actual offset can happen with no immediate warning.

THIS 👆 The notice requirement is BEFORE the debt is certified for offset, not right before they take your refund. Could have been sent months or years ago.

This is actually really smart advice that nobody talks about. I'd rather control where my money goes during the year than let the govt hold it interest-free and then potentially take it all.

Exactly. Plus, you're basically giving the government an interest-free loan all year when you overwithhold. I aim to either owe a tiny amount (under the penalty threshold) or get a very small refund.

Another ad for this site? 🙄 Seeing these everywhere lately

not an ad, just sharing what helped me. i was in the exact situation as OP and spent WEEKS trying to figure it out before finding this tool. the IRS website is impossible to navigate and getting through on the phone is even worse. if something actually works why wouldn't I share it?

I just checked it out and it's actually really helpful. It explained a 570 code I've been freaking out about for days in like 2 seconds. Definitely worth it if you're confused about your transcript.