ESD overpayment waiver approved - will tax refund intercept be refunded?
After dealing with an ESD overpayment notice for $5,300 from last year, I finally got my waiver approved yesterday! What a relief after months of stress. My question is about my tax situation though - when I filed my 2024 taxes in February, my entire refund ($1,875) was intercepted and applied to this overpayment balance before the waiver was approved. Now that the overpayment has been officially waived, does anyone know if ESD will automatically refund the money they took from my tax return? Or do I need to call them to request this specifically? I checked my eServices account but there's no information about this situation.
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CaptainAwesome
congrats on the waiver! i went thru something similar last yr... yes theyre supposed to refund that $ back to u but it takes FOREVER. mine took like 9 weeks
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Amara Okafor
•Thanks for the info! 9 weeks is a long time but at least it's good to know they should refund it eventually. Did they mail you a check or direct deposit it?
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Yuki Tanaka
This is a great question and one that comes up frequently. When an overpayment is waived after a tax refund has been intercepted, ESD is required to return those funds to you. However, they don't always process this automatically. Here's what you should do: 1. Take a screenshot of your waiver approval in eServices 2. Contact ESD directly to inform them about your intercepted tax refund 3. Ask specifically for a refund of the intercepted amount 4. Get a confirmation number for your request The refund process typically takes 4-6 weeks from the time you make the request, but it can sometimes take longer as the other commenter mentioned. If you haven't received anything after 6 weeks, follow up again with ESD.
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Amara Okafor
•This is really helpful - thank you! I'll definitely follow those steps. Do you know if there's a specific department or phone number I should call to handle this type of request?
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Esmeralda Gómez
•OMG good luck with calling them!!!!! I've been trying for TWO WEEKS to get through to them about my claim issue and just get disconnected every time. I seriously dont understand how they can run an agency like this! its absolutely INSANE that we cant talk to actual humans about our money!!!!
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Klaus Schmidt
When I had my overpayment waived last year, I had to specifically request my tax refund back. It wasn't automatic in my case. I called the main ESD number and after explaining my situation to 3 different people (got transferred around a lot), they finally put in the request. Took about 7 weeks to get my money back - they sent a paper check even though I had direct deposit set up. But at least I got it back!
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Amara Okafor
•Thanks for sharing your experience! That's frustrating that you had to go through so many transfers, but I'm glad you eventually got your money back. I'll prepare myself for the paper check possibility.
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Aisha Patel
•What was your reason for the overpayment if you don't mind me asking? I'm dealing with one now because they say I didn't report some earnings but I totally did. Just wondering if I should apply for a waiver too.
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LilMama23
I actually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I was trying to reach ESD about this exact issue last month. I'd been trying to call for days with no luck. The service connects you directly to an ESD agent so you don't have to keep calling over and over. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. It worked for me - got through to someone who could actually help with my refund intercept issue in about 20 minutes.
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Dmitri Volkov
•Does this actually work? I'm skeptical of these kinds of services because they often just do what you could do yourself. Has anyone else tried this?
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Klaus Schmidt
•I've used Claimyr twice and it worked both times. Definitely worth it when you're dealing with something time-sensitive like getting your tax refund back. The ESD hold times are ridiculous otherwise.
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Yuki Tanaka
To answer your follow-up question - the best number to call is the main ESD claims center (800-318-6022). Make sure to specifically mention that you're calling about a "tax refund intercept refund after overpayment waiver approval." Using those exact terms helps get you to the right department faster. Also important: when you do get through, ask the agent to note in your file exactly when you requested the refund. This creates a timestamp that can be helpful if you need to follow up later.
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Amara Okafor
•Thank you for the specific terminology! I'll definitely use those exact words. I appreciate the tip about asking them to note the date of my request too - that seems really important for tracking purposes.
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Amara Okafor
Quick update for anyone who finds this thread later: I finally got through to ESD today after many attempts. The agent confirmed they will refund my intercepted tax return since the overpayment was waived, but said it could take 8-10 weeks for processing. She also mentioned they typically send paper checks for these refunds rather than direct deposit. I had to specifically request this - it wasn't automatic! Make sure you call if you're in this situation.
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Esmeralda Gómez
•How did you get through?? I've been trying for days!
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Amara Okafor
•I used the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above. Honestly didn't think it would work but I was desperate after trying for days. Got connected to an agent within about 30 minutes.
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