Your refund pays government debts first

Watch out if you owe:

• Government student loans
• Spousal or child support
• State or Federal income tax
• Debt from Unemployment compensation
• Any other debts to the State or Federal government

You are not alone. More than 1 in 5 Americans have student debt, and 17% of child support goes unpaid in the US.

Nevertheless, The Federal government and the Bureau of Fiscal Affairs (BFS) will collect what they can from your tax refund check – before you get the money in the mail.

And you thought the credit bureaus were bad

Using your Tax ID or social security number, the IRS and BFS share information about people who owe the government money. They can withhold money to pay your government debt from your:

• State and Federal tax refund
• Military or Federal salary
• Government Contract payments
• Some Social Security benefits

Steps to stop an Intent to Offset

Let’s get to the root of your debt. You need to prove financial hardship.

If your Offset is due to a student loan default, we need to work with the Department of Education.

If your Spouse’s Offset affects you, you can try for an Injured Spouse Allocation. Anyway, the best way to sort out your next steps is to call us right away.

How to avoid a Tax Refund Offset

You can pay the outstanding money you owe directly. Also, your current bankruptcy proceedings may be able to stop the offset with the correct paperwork.

Call us to see what other solutions might exist in your unique case.

Or, you can use the refund money to pay as the government says. But beware.

Make sure the amounts are justified, or you will spend endless hours trying to get an overpayment back.

But wait! I never got a Notice!

We hear this a lot. We can help determine why your refund was less than you expected. Your refund money was re-routed to another government institution.

But where?

It might take some investigative work, but we have access to the official systems to do this for you.