Use Where's My Refund, call us at 800-829-1954 (toll-free) and use the automated system, or speak with a representative by calling 800-829-1040 (see telephone assistance for hours of operation).
You can contact the agency with which you have a debt to determine if the debt was submitted for refund offset by calling the Bureau of the Fiscal Service at 800-304-3107 (or TTY/TDD 800-877-8339), Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
If you owe money to a federal or state agency, the federal government may use part or all of your federal tax refund to repay the debt. This is called a tax refund offset. If your tax refund is lower than you calculated, it may be due to a tax refund offset for an unpaid debt such as child support.
You must contact the specific federal agency or state you owe the money to. TOP cannot make arrangements for you to pay off your debt, discuss your debt with you or refund your money. The TOP Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system on 800-304-3107 can tell you who to call.
In order to request an offset bypass refund, the taxpayer, or representative, should make the request when the return is filed. The request must occur prior to assessment. The request needs to demonstrate the financial hardship the taxpayer faces. The amount of the offset limits the amount of the OBR.
An offset account is a transaction account linked to your home loan. You can make deposits or withdraw from it as you would with a regular transaction account. The big difference is that when you hold money in an offset account over a period of time, you can reduce the amount of interest charged on your home loan.
To determine whether an offset will occur on a debt owed (other than federal tax), contact BFS's TOP call center at 800-304-3107 (800-877-8339 for TTY/TDD help).
Request an expedited refund by calling the IRS at 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059). Request a manual refund expedited to you.
Pay the debt in full
For any changes to your balance for payments you make to us, we send updated account information to BFS weekly. Allow a minimum of 2 weeks for an offset to show on your account.
See our Held or Stopped Refund page or our video for more information. If the IRS is reviewing your return, the review process could take anywhere from 45 to 180 days, depending on the number and types of issues the IRS is reviewing. Follow these steps if you know you made a mistake, before the IRS contacts you.
The IRS may agree that you have a financial hardship (economic hardship) if you can show that you cannot pay or can barely pay your basic living expenses. For the IRS to determine you are in a hardship situation, the IRS will use its collection financial standards to determine allowable basic living expenses.
You may be able to avoid offset by entering repayment during the 65-day period. Once the 65-day period ends, you still may be able to stop offset by entering into a rehabilitation agreement and making the first five of the nine required payments.
You can call 1-800-829-1040 to get answers to your federal tax questions 24 hours a day. Tax forms and instructions for current and prior years are available by calling 1-800-829-3676. You can also order free publications on a wide variety of tax topics.
Visit www.irs.gov/paymentplan for more information on installment agreements and online payment agreements. You can also call us at 1- 800-829-0922 to discuss your options. For information on how to obtain your current account balance or payment history, go to www.irs.gov/balancedue.
The IRS can delay your tax refund until it completes any audits. This is most common when the IRS is conducting a mail audit on your EITC or ACTC return from a prior year.
Contact an IRS customer service representative to correct any agency errors by calling 800-829-1040 (see telephone assistance for hours of operation).
The IRS generally has 10 years – from the date your tax was assessed – to collect the tax and any associated penalties and interest from you. This time period is called the Collection Statute Expiration Date (CSED).
If you received a CP237A notice from the IRS
The IRS will send you a CP237A if the tax refund check they sent you was never deposited. If you received this notice, call 1-800-829-0115 to claim your refund.
If you didn't get an offset notice
If you didn't get a notice about an offset but your tax refund is smaller than you expected, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 (or TTY/TDD 800-877-8339).
Temporary Suspension of Offset Program until July 31, 2021 June 2021 Tax News. FTB has temporarily suspended the collection activities of the Interagency Intercept Collection (IIC) Program in keeping with the Governor's March 12, 2020, Executive Order .
If you don't pay the amount due or tell us why you disagree with it, we may take collection actions. If you are in bankruptcy, please notify us immediately. The bankruptcy may not eliminate your tax debt, but we may temporarily stop collection. Call the number on your bill or 1-800-973-0424.
A 100% offset account is an account linked to your home loan where you can park your savings and spare cash to reduce the interest you pay. Then, when interest is calculated on your home loan, the balance in your offset account is deducted from the loan amount owing, and interest is only charged on what remains.
With a 100% offset facility, there is typically no maximum amount of savings you can keep in the offset account. However, the amount of funds in the offset account cannot exceed the outstanding balance on the loan.