I found a credit in my account that has to be my Federal return. But it's nearly $200 short. What should I do?

[psillyjeremy]

Long story short I should be getting back $905 Federal and $122 State.  But I also have the state snagging up $180 in money I owe the DOL.  Which is fine.  So when I saw my federal came in minus almost 200 I assumed that was why.  Then I received something in the mail from the state saying they were taking my State return.  Nothing about my federal.  Only that they were taking the whole 122.  But even if they were going after my federal, that only adds up to $58 they could take from it.  Even if they took it out of my federal, the numbers still don't add up ($905-180 doesn't equal $709.12). Can anyone help me make sense of this?

[LeeM · Accepted solution]

It sounds as though they also took penalties and interest along with those monies owed. 

I would definitely contact your State Department of Revenue and ask for either a tax transcript or the breakdown of the "tax offset" is how they usually refer to it.

If you have trouble with the state, you can also contact the IRS Bureau of Financial Services about that offset and they can provide the information as well.

• Contact the BFS's TOP call center at 800-304-3107 or TDD 866-297-0517, Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.