Tax Topic 151 on Transcript - Has Anyone With This Code Received Their Refund Yet?

Tax Topic 151 generally indicates that your refund is being held or adjusted. This could be for several reasons: 1. The IRS believes you have a balance due from a previous tax year 2. They're adjusting your refund amount based on their calculations 3. They're holding your refund for review 4. Your refund may have been offset to pay other debts (child support, student loans, etc.) You should receive a letter in the mail (CP12 or similar) within 2-3 weeks explaining the specific reason.

Did you claim any credits like Earned Income or Child Tax Credit? Those tend to trigger more reviews.

I got the same code last month. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it explained that code 151 on my account meant they were making a small adjustment to my refund. The tool showed me exactly which line items were being changed and predicted I'd get a letter within 10 days - which I did! The letter matched exactly what taxr.ai had predicted. Ended up getting my (slightly reduced) refund about 2 weeks after the code appeared.

I had this happen in 2023. Got the 151 code and then a letter saying they adjusted my refund down by $320 because of a math error they found. Still got the rest of my refund though, just took an extra 3 weeks.

If you want definite answers instead of waiting for a letter, try calling the IRS directly. I was in the same boat and spent days trying to get through their phone system. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to connect with an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to tell me exactly why my refund was held (they were verifying my W-2 with my employer) and when to expect it. Totally worth it instead of waiting weeks for a letter.

151 usually means they're making an adjustment. In my case last year, they found a mistake I made calculating my child tax credit. They fixed it, sent me a letter explaining the change, and I got my refund (minus the adjustment) about 3 weeks later. Don't panic - it's usually not something major unless you knowingly tried to claim something you shouldn't have.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed in mid-February and just saw the 151 code pop up on my transcript yesterday. From what I've researched, it seems like it's pretty common this year - the IRS is being extra thorough with reviews. I'm trying to stay patient but it's frustrating when you're counting on that refund money. Keep us updated on what happens with yours - I'm curious to see if we're in similar situations with the timeline!