We discussed the issue with the Taxpayer Advocate Service and made the decision to change the policy. Beginning with offers accepted on or after November 1, 2021, the IRS generally will not offset refunds to tax periods included on the offer after the offer acceptance date.
In California, there's now a 90-day grace period for mortgage payments and a moratorium on initiating foreclosure sales or evictions. But for anyone facing economic hardship, one thing that remains unchanged is wage garnishments. For the most part, novel coronavirus is having no effect on court-issued garnishments.
But the IRS is still processing paper returns and has an "unprecedented" backlog of over 21 million returns, as well as returns with suspected errors or identity theft to get through, reports Erin Collins, the national taxpayer advocate.
If you haven't received your tax refund after at least 21 days of filing online or six weeks of mailing your paper return, go to a local IRS office or call the federal agency (check out our list of IRS phone numbers that could get you help faster).
But despite the progress, IRS officials admit returns are piling up for this year's tax filing season. The IRS started this year with 8 million unprocessed original returns from last year. Typically the agency starts the filing season without original returns to process, a Treasury official said.
Not all debts are subject to a tax refund offset. 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).
Send in Form 433-A with any necessary documentation and wait for a response. If you qualify, you are switched to Currently Not Collectible status, and the IRS doesn't garnish your refund. Talk with your tax advocate about how long this status will be in place and what your next steps should be.
Beginning March 30, 2020, the IRS generally suspended the initiation of levies and NFTLs until at least July 15, 2020. "New" levies and NFTLs will not be initiated until after July 15, 2020, unless there are pressing circumstances.
One-time forgiveness, otherwise known as penalty abatement, is an IRS program that waives any penalties facing taxpayers who have made an error in filing an income tax return or paying on time. This program isn't for you if you're notoriously late on filing taxes or have multiple unresolved penalties.
The Treasury Offset Program isn't suspended, but the IRS will wait until November 2022, before it offsets tax refunds for student loan debt owed to the Department of Education. If your money is taken for unpaid taxes, child-support, etc., you can try to get it back by requesting a tax refund offset reversal.
Insurance proceeds and dividends paid either to veterans or to their beneficiaries. Interest on insurance dividends left on deposit with the Veterans Administration. Benefits under a dependent-care assistance program.
Timeframes for receiving and sending funds
Non-joint refund: Federal law requires a state to disburse a non-joint refund offset no later than 30 calendar days after receipt unless there is a special circumstance (for example, a pending appeal).
You can find out if you owe such other debts by calling the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) at 800-304-3107. You'll be told who you owe, and you can then contact that agency and try to make arrangements so that they tell the IRS not to take your refund.
Federal law allows only state and federal government agencies (not individual or private creditors) to take your refund as payment toward a debt.
However, the government halted all student loan collections on federal student loans at the start of the pandemic, and the relief currently lasts through May 1, 2022. This means that your tax return won't be taken to offset your outstanding federal student loan balance for the 2021 tax season.
You can check your own account with the IRS and if you owe back tax at the IRS website.
In a nutshell, a Notice of Intent to Offset is an informational letter that tells you what's about to happen. It means that you owe the IRS back taxes or you owe a significant chunk of money to a different government agency. It also means that the IRS is planning on seizing your tax refund.
IRS Refund Schedule for Direct Deposits and Check Refunds
They now issue refunds every business day, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Due to changes in the IRS auditing system, they no longer release a full schedule as they did in previous years.
This means the IRS has your tax return and is processing it. Your personalized refund date will be available as soon as the IRS finishes processing your return and confirms that your refund has been approved. Most refunds are issued in less than 21 days.
The Short Answer: Yes. The IRS probably already knows about many of your financial accounts, and the IRS can get information on how much is there. But, in reality, the IRS rarely digs deeper into your bank and financial accounts unless you're being audited or the IRS is collecting back taxes from you.
Under federal law, most creditors are limited to garnish up to 25% of your disposable wages. However, the IRS is not like most creditors. Federal tax liens take priority over most other creditors. The IRS is only limited by the amount of money they are required to leave the taxpayer after garnishing wages.
An IRS levy permits the legal seizure of your property to satisfy a tax debt. It can garnish wages, take money in your bank or other financial account, seize and sell your vehicle(s), real estate and other personal property.
When students receive a federal loan, a FAFSA refund check may be issued if the entire loan extends more than the cost of tuition and other necessary expenditures. Students will likely receive a FAFSA refund for what is left over from the initial loan amount.
If you made federal student loan payments from March 13, 2020, to August 31, 2022, the CARES Act states that you are entitled to a refund if you want it. The refund is a worthwhile possibility for those who need the funds now or want to take advantage of a forgiveness option.