Your refund is frozen while the IRS reviews something on the account. Here is what it means, what usually happens next, and what to do.
On your account transcript it reads: 570 Additional account action pending Hold or watch
TC 570 freezes your refund. It tells the IRS system to hold any credit on the account while something is reviewed — income or withholding verification, a credit review, an identity check, a math or document issue, or an adjustment in progress. The amount is usually $0.00; what matters is that it is there, and whether it has been released.
Reversal code: TC 571 — Resolved additional account action. When it posts after this code, the effect above is undone.
Also written as: IRS code 570, code 570 on transcript, 570 IRS code, transaction code 570.
A 570 ends one of three ways. Released: a TC 571 posts (sometimes with a $0.00 TC 290), then a TC 846 refund. Released with changes: a 290 or 291 adjusts the amount, then an 846 and usually a CP12 explaining the difference. Or the review needs you: a TC 971 'Notice issued' line appears and a letter — CP05, 4883C, 5071C, 12C or 4464C — arrives within a couple of weeks. The letter, not the transcript, tells you what to send.
| On the same transcript | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 570 alone | Hold placed; the IRS is reviewing. Often releases on its own within weeks. |
| 570 + 971 'Notice issued' | The IRS mailed you a letter about the hold — your response window starts on the notice date. |
| 570 then 571 + 846 | Hold released and refund issued. |
| 570 + 290 for $0.00 | Review finished with no change; a release usually follows. |
If one posted, a letter is on its way. Wait for it before calling — the agent will ask for it.
Identity letters need the channel they name; document requests need copies of what is listed. Precise responses release 570s fastest.
With no letter and no change, calling — or a Taxpayer Advocate request if you face hardship — is reasonable.
Paste it into the free decoder — every code explained, open holds flagged, refund and offsets summarized. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
Decode my transcript →There is no fixed clock. Simple reviews release within a few weeks; reviews that need a letter from you usually release a few weeks after the IRS processes your response. Backlogs stretch both.
Not by itself. A 570 is a hold, not an examination — audits show as TC 420. Most 570s are verification reviews that end with a 571 and a refund.
On your IRS account transcript for the tax year — in your IRS Online Account under tax records, or by mail using Form 4506-T. The transactions section lists each code with its description, date and amount. Return transcripts do not show transaction codes.
Yes. IRS code 570, code 570 on transcript, transaction code 570 and TC 570 all refer to the same three-digit transaction code the IRS posts to your account.