I filed my taxes in February 2020 my return was garnished from student loans, will I get a refund due to CoronaVirus?

[JohnB5677]

The stimulus check will not be subject to garnishment fore anything other than child support.

[zsbadami]

Will my current garnishment be returned back?

[JohnB5677]

No,  That was from your income tax refund.  This is a separate thing altogether.  It is from the Treasury Department.  They are using the IRS and Social Security as a tool to get money out as quick as they can.

[zsbadami]

Ok thank you, I asked because I was told all student loan garnishments from income tax and payroll will be refunded, this was told by the Department of Education, so this isn’t correct?

[SForrestLO]

Please contact the IRS Treasury Offset Department to see if your refund will be offset.

1800-304-3107

You can also contact the Department of Education, as we will no know this information.

[Nickleboyz · Accepted solution]

It doesn’t go by the date you filed, but by the date your return was used to pay your loan. As long as your student loan has a “paid on” date of 3/05 or later than you will receive a refund of your student loan offset. To find out the date your refund was applied to your student loans call [phone number removed]. This is the US Department of Education’s number. Follow the prompts and then hit option 2 to hear your last payment amount and date. I filed my taxes on 1/27/20 but because of the Child tax credit and EITC my return wasn’t filled right away. When calling, I found out that my student loan offset was applied on 3/07, which means I would qualify to get my offset returned to me automatically. Just make sure they have your current address on file because the refunds will actually be mailed and not direct deposited back. Hope this helps!

[NHurley78]

Hello! I'm just curious about the 3/5 applied date. I thought people were going to be refunded only if it was  a "paid on" date of 3/13 or later? I was just wondering where you got the information regarding the 3/5 date. -Thank you!

[THNMom4]

The 3/5 date comes from the Department of Education. If you call, the automated system will tell you that anything processed 3/5 or later will be returned.  Also,  if you speak with a rep, they will confirm that information. This was my experience.  

[medinaag09]

Thank you for the info very informative. What number did you call? I tried all of them on their website but was not successful. Trying to get information to see if I can get my garnished amt back. I filled On 2/22....

[KimberCaen2]

@Nickleboyz  When I call the number for Dept of Ed it still says March 13th.. and when I originally spoke with someone weeks ago they told me it’s not the date it’s actually posted but the date it went into processing to be withheld.. I received an email saying I was due a refund but the automated system says they’re isn’t a refund initiated.. am I missing something here?

[DavidS127]

As of 3/13/2020 the U.S. Department of Education has suspended collection of student loan debt.  According to the U.S. Department of Education website at this link and pasted here:

Questions About Defaulted Loans

UPDATED: On March 25, 2020, ED announced that my federal tax refund would not be withheld to repay my defaulted federal student loan debt. My refund has already been taken. Will I get it back?

Yes, but only if your federal tax refund was in the process of being withheld—on or after March 13, 2020, and before Sept. 30, 2020—for the repayment of a defaulted federal student loan.

Your federal tax refund will not be returned to you if the process to withhold your refund was completed before March 13, 2020.

[mrstaylor]

I filed a joint return on 2/17 and it was applied to my husband's federal student loan on the 2/27. Unfortunately, clearly everything was processed prior to 3/13. I had filed an injured spouse claim on 3/6. Are these still being processed within the normal time frames or is everything taking a backseat to the stimulus checks?

Also, if I filed with our direct deposit information but obviously the funds were offset and no funds were deposited. I wouldn't have to use the IRS/Intuit portal to input my direct deposit information right? Can i safely assume the IRS has my account info even though it wasn't used? 

[DMarkM1]

IRS is attempting process all.  It may be a bit slower however.  Here is a link describing current IRS operations.

Yes, your direct deposit information on your return is on file with the IRS for stimulus payments. 

[zsbadami]

Same happened to me but my question was if our offset was going to be refunded? No one really has an answer. I’m just wondering because I was told by the Department of Education that whatever was garnished due to student loans will be refunded or a check will be mailed back to us of what they garnished from our 2019 taxes( all of the refund) have you heard any updates?