How to check if IRS offset my refund for child support or other debts?
Filed my taxes and worried about offsets. Need to know if my refund might get taken for child support or other debts. Is there a way to check this before filing? Or if I already filed, how can I find out why my refund might be less than expected?
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Dmitry Petrov
You can call the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) at 800-304-3107. Enter your SSN and it'll tell you if you have any offsets. Also check your transcript on IRS.gov - any adjustment codes might indicate an offset.
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Sofia Gutierrez
•Thank you! Anyone know what time the TOP line is open? tried calling but got a message saying closed
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Dmitry Petrov
•Its open Monday-Friday 7:30am to 5pm EST 👍
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StarSurfer
hey guys instead of playing detective with TOP and transcripts, just use taxr.ai - its only $4.99 and tells you exactly whats going on with your refund including any offsets. saved me so much time https://taxr.ai
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Ava Martinez
•is this legit? seems to good to be true 🤔
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StarSurfer
•100% legit! It analyzes your transcript and explains everything in plain english. Shows all dates, codes, and potential issues
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Ava Martinez
•just tried it and WOW! wish i knew about this months ago instead of trying to decode these transcript hieroglyphics myself 💯
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Miguel Castro
learned the hard way last year smh. Child support took my whole refund and nobody told me till after the fact 🤮
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Zainab Abdulrahman
If you owe student loans ur good rn btw - theres still a pause on those offsets
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Connor Byrne
•wait fr? even private loans?
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•nah just federal loans fam
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Yara Elias
Check with your state too! Some states have their own offset programs separate from the feds
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QuantumQuasar
im in the same boat. filed last week and now im stressing about old debts coming back to haunt me lol
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Keisha Jackson
•mood 😭 tax season got us all paranoid
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Aisha Mahmood
Also check your "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov - if there's an offset it'll show up there with a message about your refund being reduced. Usually takes 2-3 weeks after filing to see any offset info. You can also request a refund trace (Form 3911) if you think there was an error with the offset amount.
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Ethan Clark
•This is super helpful! I didn't know about Form 3911 - that could be a lifesaver if they take too much. How long does it usually take to get a response back on the refund trace?
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Oliver Schulz
•Usually takes 8-12 weeks to hear back on Form 3911, but it's worth it if you think the offset was wrong. Also pro tip - if you're married filing jointly and only one spouse owes the debt, the other spouse can file Form 8379 (Injured Spouse Allocation) to get their portion of the refund back!
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