How can I find out if my refund has been garnished by the IRS?

The IRS provides a toll-free number, (800) 304-3107, to call for information about tax offsets. You can call this number, go through the automated prompts, and see if you have any offsets pending on your social security number.

Can your child tax credit be garnished?

Yes. Advance Child Tax Credit payments are not exempt from garnishment by non-federal creditors under federal law. For example, if a taxpayer has a judgment against them obtained by a private party but also owes assessed federal taxes, the IRS will not subject the payment to offset with respect to the federal taxes.

Can your Child Tax Credit be garnished?

Yes. Advance Child Tax Credit payments are not exempt from garnishment by non-federal creditors under federal law. Some states and financial institutions have chosen to act to protect these payments, however, and these payments are still protected from offset by the federal government.

Do you have to pay taxes before you can garnish a refund?

Before any other federal or state agency can garnish your tax refund, you must be current on your federal income tax payments. This is because the outstanding taxes you owe to the IRS must always be paid first.

What happens when you get a tax refund?

For example, if you owe taxes for a prior year, but expect a tax refund in the current year, the federal government doesn’t view this as an overpayment to which non-IRS government agencies have access. In this scenario, the IRS applies the current tax refund to your past-due tax balance.

Can a private creditor take my tax 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, once you deposit the refund into your bank account, these rules no longer apply. Depending on the laws of your state, private creditors may have access to those funds.

Can a federal refund be offset without prior notice?

The Department of Treasury’s Financial Management Service (FMS) can offset any unpaid federal or government debt against your refund without prior notice. Most commonly, the offset is taken for: