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When I have a state refund but I owe taxes on my federal return, is my state refund automatically credited to my owed taxes on my federal return?

I owe taxes on my federal return but am getting a refund on my state return. Does my state refund get applied to my owed Federal taxes?
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When I have a state refund but I owe taxes on my federal return, is my state refund automatically credited to my owed taxes on my federal return?

No!!

 

Your state tax due cannot be paid from your federal refund. 

It is not possible to pay your state tax due from your federal refund, nor is it possible to pay a federal tax due from a state refund.  The federal and state treasuries are completely separate from each other.  You may have seen a TurboTax summary of your federal and state amounts that confused you into thinking one was “paying” the other.  It is not. The ONLY thing you can pay for from a federal refund is your TurboTax fees if you chose that option.  

 

 If you have federal tax due you can pay by mailing your payment with the 1040V voucher, (which has the address printed on it, having the payment taken out of a designated bank account, or you can pay directly on the IRS website. 

 

https://www.irs.gov/payments

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-payments/help/how-can-i-pay-my-federal-taxes/00/26212

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-payments/help/how-do-i-pay-my-irs-tax-due-with-a-check-or-mone... 

 

 

To apply for a payment plan with the IRS

 

Apply Online for a Payment Plan

 

 

You must pay your state tax due using the state’s preferred method of receiving payment.  For most states that will be by making a payment to the state’s own tax website, or by mailing a check or money order.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900884-what-are-my-options-for-getting-my-state-refund-or-for-pay...

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901670-how-do-i-contact-my-state-department-of-revenue

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

View solution in original post

2 Replies

When I have a state refund but I owe taxes on my federal return, is my state refund automatically credited to my owed taxes on my federal return?

No!!

 

Your state tax due cannot be paid from your federal refund. 

It is not possible to pay your state tax due from your federal refund, nor is it possible to pay a federal tax due from a state refund.  The federal and state treasuries are completely separate from each other.  You may have seen a TurboTax summary of your federal and state amounts that confused you into thinking one was “paying” the other.  It is not. The ONLY thing you can pay for from a federal refund is your TurboTax fees if you chose that option.  

 

 If you have federal tax due you can pay by mailing your payment with the 1040V voucher, (which has the address printed on it, having the payment taken out of a designated bank account, or you can pay directly on the IRS website. 

 

https://www.irs.gov/payments

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-payments/help/how-can-i-pay-my-federal-taxes/00/26212

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-payments/help/how-do-i-pay-my-irs-tax-due-with-a-check-or-mone... 

 

 

To apply for a payment plan with the IRS

 

Apply Online for a Payment Plan

 

 

You must pay your state tax due using the state’s preferred method of receiving payment.  For most states that will be by making a payment to the state’s own tax website, or by mailing a check or money order.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900884-what-are-my-options-for-getting-my-state-refund-or-for-pay...

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901670-how-do-i-contact-my-state-department-of-revenue

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

When I have a state refund but I owe taxes on my federal return, is my state refund automatically credited to my owed taxes on my federal return?

Thank you! Yes, I was confused by the TurboTax tax summary of the federal and state amounts. It showed my state refund in full but my owed federal tax amount was reduced by the exact amount of my state refund. Haven't the faintest idea why TurboTax would do that. 

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