How do you know about tax offset? Will IRS hold or take your refund in 2025?
So I'm getting super anxious about filing my taxes this year. How do you actually find out if the IRS is going to hold or take your tax refund through an offset? I created an account on the IRS website and looked all over it, but I can't see anything that indicates I have a penalty fee or owe any money. But I'm worried because I had some student loans I haven't paid in a while. Would the IRS website actually show if you have an offset against you? Or is there some other way to check? I'm planning to file early but don't want to get my hopes up for a refund if it's just gonna get taken. Thank you for any help! Really stressing about this.
20 comments
Join the conversation
JaylinCharles
The IRS doesn't actually show offset information directly on your online account. The Treasury Offset Program (TOP) is what handles federal payment offsets, and they have their own system separate from your IRS account. The best way to find out if you have a potential offset is to call the Treasury Offset Program directly at 1-800-304-3107. You'll need to provide your Social Security Number, and their automated system will tell you if you have any debts subject to offset and which agencies are involved. Common reasons for offsets include unpaid student loans, back child support, state tax debts, or other federal debts. Even if your IRS account doesn't show any amounts owed to them specifically, these other debts can still trigger an offset.
0 coins
Eloise Kendrick
•Do they send any kind of notice before they take your refund? Or do you just file and then find out when you get less money than expected?
0 coins
JaylinCharles
•Yes, you should receive a notice in the mail before an offset occurs. The agency you owe will typically send a notice about the debt and potential offset. Then, if an offset actually happens, the Bureau of Fiscal Service will send you a notice explaining which agency received your money, the original refund amount, and how much was taken. Sometimes these notices get sent to old addresses though, so calling that TOP number is still the most reliable way to check in advance.
0 coins
Lucas Schmidt
When I was dealing with this mess last year, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that actually saved me a ton of stress. I was in a similar situation - worried about offsets but couldn't find clear info anywhere. What I liked was that I could upload my IRS notices and past tax documents, and it gave me a clear explanation of my situation and what to expect. It flagged that I had a potential offset risk from an old state tax bill I had forgotten about, which wasn't showing on my IRS account at all. The system analyzed everything and told me exactly what I needed to do before filing. Saved me from being blindsided when my refund came in smaller than expected.
0 coins
Freya Collins
•How accurate was it? I've used tax software before but nothing that actually predicted offsets. Did it connect directly to IRS systems or just analyze your documents?
0 coins
LongPeri
•I'm curious about this too. I've got some old medical debt in collections but no idea if it would affect my tax refund. Would this tool know about that kind of stuff or just federal/state debts?
0 coins
Lucas Schmidt
•It doesn't connect directly to IRS systems - it analyzes the documents you upload and uses that information to identify risk factors. For me, it was about 100% accurate - it correctly identified my state tax issue when I had completely forgotten about it. The system looks at federal and state tax issues primarily. For medical debt, it would only flag it if it had escalated to a federal debt situation, which is rare but can happen with certain government hospital debts. Regular private collections usually don't trigger tax offsets unless they involve a government agency.
0 coins
LongPeri
I decided to try taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and wow - actually super helpful! I uploaded my tax documents and some collection notices I had, and it immediately cleared up my confusion. It showed that my medical debt wasn't eligible for offset (huge relief!) but flagged that my defaulted student loan could be. The detailed explanation let me estimate how much of my refund might be taken, so at least I can plan accordingly. It also gave me options for getting out of default before filing. Way clearer than the vague responses I got calling around. Definitely recommend if you're worried about surprises!
0 coins
Oscar O'Neil
If you're having trouble contacting the IRS directly (and who isn't these days), I've had success using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get through to someone at the IRS about a potential offset on my refund. With Claimyr, they basically hold your place in the phone queue and call you once they have an agent on the line. I was skeptical at first, but there's a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I finally got to speak with someone who confirmed I had a student loan offset pending and explained my options. Saved me hours of hold music and frustration.
0 coins
Sara Hellquiem
•Wait, so it's like a service that waits on hold FOR you? How does that even work? Sounds too good to be true honestly.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
•I've heard of these services before but assumed they were scams. How do you know they're legitimate and not just collecting phone numbers? Did you actually reach a real IRS agent?
0 coins
Oscar O'Neil
•It uses a callback system. You enter your number, and they call you once they have an IRS agent on the other line. Then they connect you directly to that agent. No need to stay on hold yourself. Yes, it connected me to a legitimate IRS representative who verified my identity and accessed my account details. It wasn't a third party - it was definitely the actual IRS. The service just handles the hold time part, then gets out of the way once you're connected. I was skeptical too, but it actually works as advertised.
0 coins
Charlee Coleman
Well I'll be damned, I tried Claimyr after posting my skeptical comment. I was absolutely convinced it wouldn't work, but I was desperate after trying to reach someone for THREE WEEKS. Got a call back in about 45 minutes and was connected directly to an IRS agent who confirmed I had TWO different offsets pending - one for child support (which I knew about) and another for an old tax bill from 2019 I thought I'd paid! The agent walked me through my options and helped me set up a payment plan for the old tax bill to avoid future offsets. Saved me from losing a big chunk of my refund because I would've had no idea about that second offset. Completely worth it.
0 coins
Liv Park
Another way to check for offsets is to call the IRS offset inquiry line at 1-800-830-5084. This is specifically for finding out if the IRS has an offset plan for your expected refund. Heads up though - this only tells you about IRS offsets, not necessarily all the Treasury Offset Program stuff like student loans and child support. That's why the TOP number the first person mentioned is probably more comprehensive.
0 coins
Leeann Blackstein
•Is there any way to check this information online instead of calling? I have hearing problems and phone calls are really difficult for me.
0 coins
Liv Park
•Unfortunately, there's no fully online method to check for all potential offsets. The IRS online account will show if you owe the IRS specifically, but won't show other agency debts that might cause offsets. You might try using the chat feature with the IRS if available, though it has limited functionality. Another option is to authorize a friend or family member to call on your behalf using Form 8821, or work with a tax professional who can make these calls for you.
0 coins
Ryder Greene
FYI - even if you find out you have an offset, you might still have options! If you're facing financial hardship, some types of offsets can be reduced or delayed through hardship programs. For student loans specifically, you might be able to get out of default with loan rehabilitation before tax time. For child support, sometimes partial offset exemptions are available depending on your state.
0 coins
Brianna Muhammad
•Thank you, that's really good to know! What exactly counts as a "hardship" that they would accept? I'm not in terrible shape but definitely living paycheck to paycheck right now.
0 coins
Ryder Greene
•For hardship consideration, they typically look at whether offsetting your refund would prevent you from meeting basic living expenses. This includes rent/mortgage, utilities, food, medicine, etc. You'd need to submit financial documentation showing your income and expenses to prove the hardship is real. The standards vary by agency - student loan hardships might be evaluated differently than child support offsets. Contact whichever agency holds your debt directly and specifically ask about their hardship procedures for tax refund offsets.
0 coins
Brianna Muhammad
•Thanks so much for the detailed info. I'm going to call that Treasury offset number tomorrow and see what I'm dealing with first. If there is an offset, I'll definitely look into the hardship options!
0 coins