A possible reason that your refund was lower than you expected, is that
your refund was reduced by the government, either to correct a
calculation error or through a refund offset. Or, for other
possibilities, please see Why is my federal refund less than I expected?
A
refund offset is when an IRS refund is reduced or intercepted to pay
off delinquent debt, such as past-due child support, outstanding student
loans, or unpaid state income tax.
You will receive a notice in
the mail if an offset occurs. The notice will include the original tax
refund amount and your offset amount. It will also include the agency
receiving the offset payment and that agency’s contact information.
If
you believe you do not owe the debt or you want to dispute the amount
taken from your refund, you should contact the agency that received the
offset amount.
If you have questions regarding the offset of your
federal tax refund or offset of another U.S. government-issued payment,
you can call the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) Call Center to obtain
agency contact information during their customer service hours.
Toll Free: 800-304-3107
TDD number: 866-297-0517
If
you suspect your refund is being held, sometimes people make progress
contacting their local IRS center or a Taxpayer Advocate.
Please see this link to find your local Taxpayer Assistance Center: https://apps.irs.gov/app/officeLocator/index.jsp
This link will offer your more guidance on Taxpayer Advocates: https://www.irs.gov/Advocate
If
some of the refund that you were expecting was from your state tax
refund, you may wish to contact your State Department of Revenue to
determine if they have offset your refund. Click here to visit your
state's Department of Revenue site.
