{"id":38436,"date":"2018-05-24T14:44:13","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T19:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resource-center.hrblock.com\/?p=38436"},"modified":"2020-04-28T13:09:14","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T18:09:14","slug":"can-the-irs-take-or-hold-my-refund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrbcomlnp.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/irs\/audits-and-tax-notices\/can-the-irs-take-or-hold-my-refund\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the IRS Take or Hold My Refund? Yes."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>When the IRS takes or holds your refund, it\u2019s a sign that you\u2019re not in good standing with our nation\u2019s tax collector. The IRS can take or hold your refund in any of these situations.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>1. The IRS is questioning the accuracy of your tax return.<\/h2>\n<p>The IRS can hold your current-year refund if it thinks you made an error on your current-year return, or if the IRS is auditing you or finds a discrepancy on a filed return from the past.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If the IRS thinks you made an error on your return, the IRS can change your refund.<\/strong> In that case, if you don\u2019t think the change was correct, you have 60 days to prove your case to the IRS and ask for a reversal. After 60 days, you\u2019d need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/irs\/audits-and-tax-notices\/appeal-denied-amended-return\/\">file an amended return<\/a> to reverse any errors and get your refund back.<\/li>\n<li><strong>If the IRS thinks you claimed erroneous deductions or credits, the IRS can hold your refund.<\/strong> In this case, the IRS will audit you to figure out whether your return is accurate. If you prove to the IRS that you correctly took the deductions and\/or credits, the IRS will issue your refund or corrected refund.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The IRS can freeze your refund if it\u2019s auditing your past tax returns<\/strong> and thinks you\u2019ll owe additional taxes in the audit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>2. You owe back taxes.<\/h2>\n<p>If you owe back taxes, the IRS will take all your refunds to pay your tax bill, until it\u2019s paid off. The IRS will take your refund even if you\u2019re in a payment plan (called an installment agreement). But if you can\u2019t pay your taxes right away, it\u2019s always best to get into an IRS payment agreement to minimize penalties and interest, and prevent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/irs\/audits-and-tax-notices\/10-consequences-of-tax-debt\/\">collection enforcement actions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>3. You have one or more unfiled back tax returns.<\/h2>\n<p>If you have unfiled back tax returns, the IRS can start a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/irs\/audits-and-tax-notices\/delinquent-return-program\/\">delinquent return inquiry<\/a>\u201d and freeze your refund until you\u2019ve filed all your back tax returns and paid any associated tax bills.<\/p>\n<h2>4. There\u2019s a problem with your tax account at the IRS.<\/h2>\n<p>There are two big \u201ctax account\u201d reasons the IRS will hold your refund:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The IRS suspects you\u2019ve been the victim of tax identity theft.<\/strong> This may mean you\u2019ll need to contact the IRS and prove your identity before you\u2019ll get your refund.<\/li>\n<li><strong>There\u2019s a discrepancy related to your dependent.<\/strong> In most cases, this means someone else claimed your child as a dependent on his or her tax return. You\u2019ll need to explain to the IRS why you should be able to claim the dependent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve cleared up your account issue, the IRS will usually release your refund within a few weeks.<\/p>\n<h2>5. You owe other debts, like student loans, back child support, outstanding unemployment compensation repayments, or state taxes.<\/h2>\n<p>The IRS collects some other types of debts by taking your refund. In this case, it\u2019s not the IRS you need to deal with, because the IRS can\u2019t help you here. You\u2019ll need to contact the source of the debt.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not sure what to do, call the Bureau of Financial Services Treasury Offset Program at (800) 304-3107.<\/p>\n<h2>When the IRS takes or holds your refund, it\u2019s important to research your IRS account<\/h2>\n<p>There could be many possible causes when your refund doesn\u2019t show up as expected. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/irs\/audits-and-tax-notices\/research-irs-account\/\">Researching your IRS account<\/a> will help you get to the bottom of the issue and clear up any confusion with the IRS.<\/p>\n<p>A tax professional can do this for you by dealing directly with the IRS. Your tax pro can interview the IRS and review your tax account transcripts to get your complete tax history. With this information, your tax pro will know exactly what\u2019s going on, and how to get back in good standing with the IRS to avoid future refund issues. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-offices\/extended-tax-services\/tax-audit\/audit-support.html\">Get help from a trusted IRS expert<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the IRS takes or holds your refund, it\u2019s a sign that you\u2019re not in good standing with our nation\u2019s tax collector. The IRS can take or hold your refund in any of these situations. 1. The IRS is questioning the accuracy of your tax return. The IRS can hold your current-year refund if it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":605,"featured_media":26813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irs","category-audits-and-tax-notices"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>Can the IRS Take or Hold My Refund? Yes. | H&amp;R Block<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The IRS has the authority to take or hold your tax refund if they think your return isn&#039;t accurate and in other situations as well. 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