What does code 898 mean? $450.39 taken from my $2,100 refund for "non-IRS debt" on 03-10-2025 transcript
Checking my transcript today and noticed something weird. There's a code 898 that says 'Refund applied to non-IRS debt' dated 03-11-2025 for $550.39. My refund amount was supposed to be around $2,100 but I only got $1,649.61. When I look at my transcript details it shows: ``` 898 Refund applied to non-IRS debt: 03-11-2025 $0.00 $550.39 This Product Contains Sensitive Taxpayer Data ``` I dont owe anything that I know of! No student loans, no state taxes, nothing to child support agencies. Not sure what this could be? I've never had my refund offset before and this is really concerning. The transcript shows that my original refund was supposed to be $2,200 but then it got reduced by $550.39 with this mysterious code 898. Has anyone seen this before or know what it means? How do I find out what debt this is supposedly going toward? Do I need to call the IRS directly or is there another agency that handles these non-IRS debt collections? Really frustrated because I was counting on that full refund amount.
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Lorenzo McCormick
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.
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Ayla Kumar
Thank you so much! I had no idea about any of this. I'll call that number tomorrow and see what this is about. Really appreciate the detailed info.
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Carmella Popescu
Just adding to this excellent answer - sometimes these can be really old debts that you forgot about or didn't even know existed. I had a similar thing happen with a $200 library fine from college that somehow made it to collections and then to this program 😡
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Kai Santiago
I had this same thing happen to me last year! Turned out to be an unemployment overpayment from like 6 years ago that I never knew about. The worst part is they don't have to notify you before they take it.
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Lim Wong
That phone number was a huge help when this happened to me. Be prepared to wait on hold for a while tho
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Dananyl Lear
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
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Lim Wong
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Dananyl Lear
It does wayyy more than just read your transcript. You upload it and the AI analyzes all your tax codes, refund status, and explains everything that's happening. It also tells you what actions you need to take next based on your specific situation. I was completely lost with all these random codes but taxr gave me a clear explanation of what was happening with my refund. Best tool I've found for dealing with IRS stuff.
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Lim Wong
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Noah huntAce420
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.
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Ana Rusula
How does this Claimyr thing work exactly? I've been trying to get ahold of the IRS for 3 weeks now with no luck...
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Noah huntAce420
It basically holds your place in line with the IRS and calls you when an agent is available. I was skeptical at first but after spending HOURS trying to get through myself, this was a lifesaver. You just enter your number and they do the waiting for you. Then your phone rings when there's an actual human ready to talk.
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Fidel Carson
Is this actually real? Sounds too good to be true tbh
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Noah huntAce420
100% real. I was in the same boat thinking it couldn't actually work this well. But after wasting an entire day trying to reach someone myself, I tried it and got a call back in about 45 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. Talking to a real person finally got my issue resolved.
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Isaiah Sanders
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.
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Xan Dae
Yep, same thing here except it was a medical bill from 10 years ago that I never received. Somehow it went to collections and I had $680 taken from my refund without any warning. The system is ridiculous.
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Fiona Gallagher
This is why I always check my credit report every year. You can catch these things before they hit this stage sometimes.
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Thais Soares
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 🙄
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Nalani Liu
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.
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Ayla Kumar
I did get unemployment briefly in 2020... that could be it. Would they really take it this many years later though?
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Nalani Liu
Yup. The states are going through and auditing all the COVID unemployment claims now. My offset was from 2020 unemployment too and they just took it in December. No notice or anything.
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Axel Bourke
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 🤡
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Aidan Percy
For real! And then they expect you to figure out who took your money and why. The burden is always on us somehow. So frustrating.
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Fernanda Marquez
Facts. I hate how they can just decide to take money without even giving you a chance to dispute it first.
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Norman Fraser
I work with taxes for a living and even I think the system is completely rigged against regular people. It's designed to be confusing on purpose.
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Kendrick Webb
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
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Hattie Carson
Seems like a lot of people recommending this... is it actually worth it tho?
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Kendrick Webb
Honestly, yes. After spending 3 days trying to figure out my transcript codes and getting nowhere, I used taxr and had answers in minutes. It's like having a tax pro look at your stuff but instant and way cheaper. You can ask it specific questions about your situation too.
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Destiny Bryant
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.
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Dyllan Nantx
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.
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TillyCombatwarrior
Does this service really work? I've been trying to talk to someone at the IRS for WEEKS
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Dyllan Nantx
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