Do Tax Offsets Show on SBTPG Bank Products?

Think of SBTPG like a middleman postal worker - they only know what's been handed to them, not what got intercepted before it reached their hands. If your refund gets offset, SBTPG won't show the offset because they never receive that portion of your money in the first place. The IRS would send them whatever remains after the offset, if anything. It's like expecting a $5,000 package but the sender only ships $3,000 worth - the delivery person only knows what they were given, not what was held back.

No, SBTPG won't show offset information. You need to check directly with the Treasury Offset Program by calling 800-304-3107. Have your SSN ready. Don't waste time looking at SBTPG for offset details - they only see what the IRS sends them after any offsets are taken. If you suspect an offset might happen, call that number now rather than waiting. You should receive a letter explaining any offset, but calling is faster.

This situation is similar to trying to track a package that never got shipped. I've found that tax transcript analysis is much more reliable than SBTPG for seeing what's happening with your refund. When I had an offset last year, my transcript showed code 898 but SBTPG showed nothing. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it immediately identified the offset and explained exactly what was happening. Much better than waiting for SBTPG to update or trying to guess what's happening.

I experienced this exact scenario during the 2023 filing season. The Treasury Offset Program intercepted $1,800 of my refund for past-due child support, and SBTPG only reflected the remaining portion. Their system has no visibility into TOP actions since the reduction happens before SBTPG receives any funds. You'll need to contact the Bureau of Fiscal Service directly to confirm any offsets.

As of April 2, 2024, I was in this exact situation. Called IRS for three days straight with no luck getting through. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed my $3,200 refund had a $1,700 offset that wouldn't show on SBTPG. Saved me from constantly checking SBTPG and wondering what happened to part of my refund!

Just to clarify something that confused me last year - SBTPG will only show the net amount they receive after any offsets. If your entire refund is offset, SBTPG might show nothing at all or just an error message. I kept thinking my refund was delayed when it had actually been completely offset. You'll get an official letter from Treasury about any offset, but it can take 1-2 weeks after the offset occurs.

An important technical detail: The offset process occurs entirely within the Treasury Department's systems before any disbursement to SBTPG. The Bureau of Fiscal Service (BFS) operates the Treasury Offset Program which reviews all federal payments against a database of delinquent debts. This happens before the ACH transfer to SBTPG would be initiated. SBTPG has no connection to or visibility into this process whatsoever.

Oh this caused me so much stress last year! No, honey, SBTPG won't show the offset at all. SBTPG only shows what they actually receive from the IRS. If you had a $3000 refund but $2000 was offset, SBTPG would only show $1000 coming in. The worst part is they don't tell you WHY the amount is different! I was so confused and upset until I figured it out!

I found that the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov sometimes shows a message about offsets when they occur. It's worth checking there too. The IRS2Go app sometimes shows this info as well. I was shocked at how many different places I had to check to piece together what happened to my refund last year! The system definitely isn't designed to make this easy to understand.

As a military family going through PCS, I'd strongly recommend checking the Treasury Offset Program immediately at 800-304-3107 rather than waiting. Military moves have tight timelines and you need to know exactly what funds you'll have available. Also, since you mentioned you're military, be aware that the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides some protections against certain types of debt collection, though it doesn't prevent all offsets. Your base legal assistance office can clarify which debts might still be subject to offset even with SCRA protections. Better to know now than discover a surprise offset when you need those funds for your move!