TAS Can Help You Obtain an Offset Bypass Refund
Since timing is critical, call the local TAS office to verify your Form 911 has been received and assigned to a local case advocate. Taxpayers must file their original return with the IRS. A return is not considered filed until the IRS receives it.
Can I Change My Bank Account With IRS Online? Once the IRS has accepted your e-filed tax return, there is no way to change your bank account information.
If the IRS states that it is mailing your check instead of direct deposit, most likely the reason is that they tried to directly deposit the refund into your account (with the banking information that was provided on the tax return) but your bank rejected the deposit.
An offset shouldn't delay it, unless your entire refund was applied to your debt. More info about refund offsets, including contact info and the appeals process, is available in IRS Tax Topic 203.
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.
Request an expedited refund by calling the IRS at 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059). Request a manual refund expedited to you.
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.
For early filers: The IRS cannot send out refunds for returns claiming the additional child tax credit until mid-February, as per the law. If you go for direct deposit, file online, and make sure your return is error-free, the IRS says you should see your refund in your account by February 27, 2024.
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.
Share: If you were set up for a direct deposit of your refund and your bank account closed before the funds were direct deposited, your bank will return the funds to the IRS. The IRS will then issue you a paper check, resulting in a tax refund delay of up to 10 weeks.
In the 2024 tax year, the CTC will not be paid out in the form of payments. Instead, it's a tax benefit that can provide families with up to $2,000 in tax relief per qualifying child. If your tax is already $0, you could get up to $1,700 per qualifying child as a refund.
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).
Contact the IRS only if your original refund amount shown on the BFS offset notice differs from the refund amount shown on your tax return. If you don't receive a notice, contact the BFS's TOP call center at 800-304-3107 (or TTY/TDD 800-877-8339), Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
For 2024, there's an offset of $700 for taxpayers with a taxable income under $37,500, with a pro-rata payment up to $66,667.
If a taxpayer refund isn't what is expected, it may be due to changes made by the IRS. These changes could include corrections to the Child Tax Credit or EITC amounts or an offset from all or part of the refund amount to pay past-due tax or debts.
Child Tax Credit
For the 2024 tax year (taxes filed in 2025), the credit is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child. Of this amount, up to $1,700 is refundable, which means you could receive a refund even if you don't owe any taxes.
To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you or your spouse if filing jointly and either younger than 19 years old or be a "student" younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year.
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.
Prevent an offset
Pay the full amount listed on the Intent to Offset Federal Payments (FTB 1102). Use the payment coupon included in the letter when you send your check or money order. To make a payment online, visit Payment options .
Try filing a court order to see if a judge will prevent the offset for you. Many states allow you to file petitions with the court system. You can try this, or ask the court to prohibit the offset the next time you're in front of a judge for a child support-related issue (like a modification case).
Yes. A debtor who wants to avoid offset by paying the debt must pay the agency to which the debt is owed. The agency will then tell Treasury to stop the offset process for that debt.
If the IRS owes you money, the interest rate for overpayments is 8% for all of 2024 (7% for the first quarter of 2025). The overpayment rate for corporate refunds is 7% for 2024 (6% for the first quarter of 2025).
How Do I Stop the IRS From Taking My Refund? Your best chance is to ensure that you make payments on the six types of debt for which the BFS will hold a refund. Notify the IRS, then contact the BFS and talk to a debt analyst if you can't do this.
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).