What does code 898 mean? $450.39 taken from my $2,100 refund for "non-IRS debt" on 03-10-2025 transcript

Code 898 means that the Treasury Offset Program has applied part of your refund to a debt you owe to another federal or state agency. This is completely separate from IRS debt. The most common non-IRS debts that trigger this offset are: - Defaulted student loans (even old ones you might have forgotten) - Child support arrears - State income tax debt - Unemployment compensation that was overpaid - Other federal agency debts To find out exactly what debt this is for, you need to call the Treasury Offset Program at 1-800-304-3107. You'll need to provide your Social Security Number, and they can tell you which agency claimed the debt and their contact information. Only that agency can answer specific questions about the debt itself. If you believe this is an error, you'll need to dispute it with the agency that claimed the debt, not with the IRS.

I went through this exact headache last month. Instead of calling and waiting for hours, I used taxr.ai to figure out what was going on with my transcript. It explained all these codes and showed me exactly why my refund was less than expected. The tool breaks down everything in plain english and tells you what your next steps should be based on your specific situation. Saved me so much time and stress! Check it out at https://taxr.ai

After trying to figure out my offset for days, I finally got a hold of someone who could explain it to me. I used Claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the IRS instead of being stuck on hold forever. The agent explained that code 898 is for debts that aren't IRS related and told me to call the Treasury Offset Program. Worth every penny to finally talk to someone who could point me in the right direction.

This happened to my wife last year. In her case it was a forgotten student loan from 2008(!!!) that she thought was paid off. The most frustrating part is that they don't have to notify you before taking it. You just see your refund is smaller and have to figure out why.

Call the Treasury Offset Program at 800-304-3107. You'll need your SSN ready. They'll tell you which agency took your $ and why. I had this happen and it was a state tax bill from when I lived in California like 7 years ago that I never knew about 🙄

Check if you had any unemployment during COVID. A lot of people are getting hit with overpayment collections now. That's what mine was from last yesr.

The IRS system is such a joke. They take your money with zero notification but if you owe THEM, they send you 5000 letters and charge penalties and interest 🤡

I had this exact problem and it was a nightmare to sort out! I swear dealing with the IRS is like throwing yourself into a bureaucratic labyrinth with no map. I finally used taxr.ai and holy cow it was a game changer. It analyzed my transcript and immediately told me what the 898 code meant and which agency I needed to contact. Saved me days of stress and confusion. https://taxr.ai

The debt could be from anywhere. They took $275 from my refund for a parking ticket from 2016 that I never knew about. Apparently it went to collections and then to the treasury offset program. The system is insane.

I stared at those stupid transcript codes for days trying to figure out what was happening with my refund. Couldn't get anybody on the phone at the IRS either. I finally broke down and used Claimyr.com to get through to an agent. Best decision ever - got connected within an hour after trying for days on my own. The agent explained exactly what was happening and how to resolve it.

This exact thing happened to me two years ago! Code 898 is definitely the Treasury Offset Program taking your refund for a non-IRS debt. In my case, it turned out to be an old overpayment from unemployment benefits that I had no idea about. The Treasury Offset Program number (800-304-3107) that others mentioned is your best bet - they can tell you exactly which agency claimed the debt and give you their contact info. Just be prepared to wait on hold for a while. One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes these debts can be really old or from agencies you wouldn't expect. Mine was from a state workforce commission for unemployment I received 5 years prior. They determined I wasn't eligible for some of the payments (even though it was approved at the time) and I never got any notice about owing money back. The frustrating part is there's no advance warning - they just take it from your refund. But once you call that number, at least you'll know what you're dealing with and can contact the right agency to get it sorted out.

I had this same exact code on my transcript last year and it was such a headache to figure out! Code 898 basically means the Treasury Offset Program grabbed part of your refund to pay off some debt to another government agency (not the IRS). The 800-304-3107 number that others mentioned is definitely your best bet - that's the Treasury Offset Program hotline. When you call, have your SSN ready and they'll tell you exactly which agency claimed the money and why. In my case, it ended up being an old overpayment from pandemic unemployment benefits that I had no clue about. The state decided months later that I wasn't eligible for some of the payments (even though they approved them initially) and I never got any notice about owing it back. First I knew about it was when my refund was $400 short. The most annoying part is they don't have to warn you before taking it - you just find out when your refund is smaller than expected. But once you call that number, you'll at least know what agency to contact to dispute it if you think it's wrong. Good luck getting it sorted out! The whole system is pretty frustrating to navigate.

This is such a frustrating situation! I went through something similar last year and it was a total nightmare to figure out. Code 898 is definitely the Treasury Offset Program, and like others have mentioned, the 800-304-3107 number is your best bet to find out exactly what debt they're claiming. In my case, it turned out to be an old debt from a state agency that I had completely forgotten about - apparently I had received some kind of overpayment years ago that I never knew I had to pay back. The worst part is that they can take your money without any warning, and then YOU have to do all the detective work to figure out what happened. One thing I learned is that these debts can come from the most unexpected places - state taxes, old unemployment overpayments, even things like unpaid library fines that somehow made it into collections. The system is designed to be confusing, but once you call that Treasury Offset number, at least you'll know which agency to contact next. Hang in there - it's definitely solvable once you know what you're dealing with, even though the process is incredibly frustrating!

This is such a common issue unfortunately! Code 898 means the Treasury Offset Program has intercepted part of your refund for a non-IRS debt. The $550.39 could be from various sources - defaulted student loans, unemployment overpayments (especially from COVID era), unpaid state taxes, child support, or even old medical bills that went to collections. Definitely call the Treasury Offset Program at 800-304-3107 - they're the only ones who can tell you exactly which agency claimed your money and provide their contact information. Have your SSN ready and be prepared for a wait, but they'll give you the details you need. Don't panic though - even if the debt is legitimate, you may have options to dispute it or set up a payment plan with the claiming agency. And if it's an error (which does happen), you can work with that agency to get it corrected. The key is finding out exactly what this is for first. Good luck!

This exact same thing happened to me! Code 898 is the Treasury Offset Program taking part of your refund for a non-IRS debt. In my case, it was an overpayment from unemployment benefits during COVID that I had no idea I even owed - apparently the state reviewed my case months later and decided some payments weren't eligible. You definitely need to call the Treasury Offset Program at 800-304-3107 with your SSN ready. They'll tell you exactly which agency took the money and give you their contact info. Fair warning though - you might be on hold for a while, but it's the only way to find out what this debt actually is. The really frustrating part is they can just take your money without any notice, and then you have to play detective to figure out why. But once you know which agency it is, you can at least contact them directly to dispute it if you think it's wrong. Hope you get some answers soon!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! Code 898 is definitely frustrating because it comes out of nowhere. Like others have said, it's the Treasury Offset Program taking your refund for a non-IRS debt. The 800-304-3107 number is absolutely your best bet - they're the only ones who can tell you exactly which agency claimed your money. When you call, have your SSN ready and maybe set aside some time since wait times can be long. One thing I'd add is to check if you moved states recently or in the past few years. Sometimes state tax agencies can be slow to process things and you might owe back taxes from a previous state that you weren't aware of. Also, if you had any unemployment benefits during COVID (even briefly), that's unfortunately becoming a really common source of these offsets as states are going back and auditing claims. Don't lose hope though - even if there is a legitimate debt, many agencies will work with you on payment plans or you might be able to dispute it if it's an error. The hardest part is just figuring out what it is first. Good luck with the call tomorrow!

This is such a stressful situation to deal with! I went through something very similar last year and completely understand your frustration. Code 898 definitely means the Treasury Offset Program has taken part of your refund for a debt owed to another government agency (not the IRS). The Treasury Offset Program hotline at 800-304-3107 is absolutely your first step - they're the only ones who can tell you exactly which agency claimed your money and provide their contact information. Have your SSN ready when you call and be prepared for potentially long hold times, but they'll give you the specific details about what debt this is for. Based on what others have shared and my own experience, this could be anything from old unemployment overpayments (especially COVID-era claims that states are now auditing), unpaid state taxes, defaulted student loans, or even medical bills that went to collections. The most frustrating part is that there's no advance notice - you just discover your refund is smaller than expected. Don't panic though! Even if the debt turns out to be legitimate, most agencies will work with you on payment plans or dispute processes if you believe it's an error. The key is identifying exactly what this is for first. Once you have that information, you can take appropriate action with the specific agency involved. Hope you get some clear answers soon!

I know exactly how frustrating this is! Code 898 hit me last year too and it was such a shock to see my refund reduced without any warning. Like everyone else has mentioned, definitely call the Treasury Offset Program at 800-304-3107 - they're really the only way to find out exactly what debt this is for. Just wanted to add a heads up that when you do call, ask them for the specific debt amount and the date it was referred to the offset program. Sometimes there can be discrepancies between what the original agency says you owe and what actually gets offset. In my case, there were additional fees that had been tacked on that I was able to dispute. Also, once you find out which agency it is, don't be afraid to ask them for documentation proving the debt is valid. Sometimes these old debts have errors or have already been paid but the systems don't communicate properly. You have rights in this process even though it doesn't feel like it when your refund just disappears! The whole system is definitely designed to be confusing, but you'll get through this. Most people do find out it's something they can either dispute or work out a payment plan for. Good luck with the call!

This is such a nightmare scenario that way too many people are dealing with! Code 898 is definitely the Treasury Offset Program taking your refund for non-IRS debt. Everyone's given you the right advice about calling 800-304-3107, but I wanted to add something important - when you call, write down EVERYTHING they tell you including the agency name, contact info, and the exact amount they claim you owe. I went through this last year and it turned out to be an unemployment overpayment from 2020 that the state decided was "improper" almost 3 years later. Never got a single notice about owing anything back. The most infuriating part is they can just take your money first and make you fight to get answers afterward. One thing that helped me was asking the Treasury Offset folks for the "debt referral date" - this is when the agency first sent your debt to the offset program. Sometimes there are time limits on how long they can pursue certain debts, so that date can be important if you end up needing to dispute it. Also, don't let any agency tell you that you can't dispute it because it's already been offset. You absolutely can still challenge the validity of the debt even after they've taken your refund. The whole system is designed to make you give up, but you have more rights than they want you to know about!