IRS transcript showing -$8,729 balance with "Refund Freeze" code - Will I get this refund?

Your transcript is showing that you had $9,432 withheld from your paychecks, but your actual tax liability was only $703. This means you're entitled to a refund of $8,729 (the negative balance indicates money the IRS owes you, not what you owe them). However, there's a refund freeze code 810 dated February 15. This means the IRS has temporarily stopped your refund from being issued. This could be for various reasons: - They're verifying your income or withholding - They're matching your W-2 information - There could be identity verification needed - They might be reviewing your credits You should receive a letter explaining the reason for the freeze. If it's been more than 60 days since the freeze code appeared and you haven't received any communication, you should contact the IRS directly to inquire about the status. The freeze will need to be resolved before your refund is released.

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After 2 weeks of staring at that same refund freeze with no movement, I finally got fed up and tried using Claimyr.com to actually get an IRS agent on the phone. Took like 15 minutes and I had a real person explaining everything to me! Turns out my freeze was just for a random verification and they cleared it while I was on the call. My refund hit my account 8 days later. Better than waiting months and wondering what's happening!

A negative balance means you have a refund coming. The amount listed as your balance (-$8,729.00) is what the IRS owes you based on your withholding minus your tax liability. The 810 code is definitely a refund freeze though, which is why you haven't received the money. They can put freezes on for basically any reason - verification of income, identity checks, random selection for review, etc. Most clear automatically after the review is complete but some require you to respond to a letter from the IRS.

I find it interesting that you have a refund freeze from February 15 but your transcript shows a "processing date" of March 10. That suggests they're actively working on your return even after the freeze was applied, which is actually a good sign. The freeze could be something routine that will clear automatically.

That seems like a large refund compared to your income. Did you claim any credits like the Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credit, or any education credits? The IRS often freezes refunds that have certain credits while they verify eligibility.

Check ur mail!! The IRS sends letters when they freeze refunds and you might have missed it. If u moved recently make sure they have ur new address. This happend to my cousin and she missed the letter and her refund was delayed another 2 months 😩

In my experience once you see the refund freeze code, you're looking at at least 60 days before anything happens. The IRS is PAINFULLY slow. I had a similar freeze last year and ended up waiting almost 4 months for my refund.

Look at the bright side - you're getting back way more than you paid in taxes. That's basically free money! The govt is just borrowing it for a bit longer lol 🤣

The 810 freeze is annoying but normal. If you dont get a letter within 30 days explaining the freeze, you need to be proactive and contact them. I was in refund limbo for 6 months last year until I finally got ahold of someone through claimyr.com - turns out they needed a document I never received notification for.

Another thing to consider is if you have any outstanding federal or state debts. They might offset your refund for things like: - Back taxes - Student loans - Child support - State tax debts But in those cases, you'd usually see an offset code rather than a freeze code. Just something to be aware of.

U can always try calling the tax advocate service instead of the main IRS line. Sometimes they can help when ur refund is stuck.

Hey! So I'm a tax preparer and see this kind of thing all the time. Here's what i want to point out: - Negative balance = good news! That's money coming TO you - The codes indicate normal processing up until the freeze - Nothing appears wrong with your return based on what you shared - There's nothing in your transcript indicating WHY the freeze exists Having dealt with hundreds of these cases, this looks like a routine verification. The IRS randomly selects returns for additional verification - especially with education credits. I'd expect movement within 60 days without you doing anything.

Am I the only one annoyed that the IRS can just hold our money for months with no explanation or timeline? Like we'd be hit with penalties immediately if we were late paying them, but they can just sit on our refunds forever? The system is broken af 👎

Lowkey you might be better off adjusting your withholding for next year so you don't have such a big refund. Then you won't have to worry about the IRS holding onto your money for months. Just a thought!