The Earned Income Tax Credit you claimed has posted to the account. Here is what it means, what usually happens next, and what to do.
On your account transcript it reads: 768 Earned income credit Normal / good news
TC 768 posts the Earned Income Tax Credit you claimed. Like other refundable credits it is dated the return's original due date. Its presence means the IRS accepted the EITC amount at posting — not that the credit is beyond later review.
Reversal code: TC 769 — Earned income credit reversed. When it posts after this code, the effect above is undone.
Also written as: IRS code 768, code 768 on transcript, 768 IRS code, transaction code 768.
EITC refunds are subject to the PATH Act: by law the IRS cannot issue refunds that include EITC or the Additional Child Tax Credit before mid-February, so an early filer sees 150, 806 and 768 but no 846 until the release window. After that, an 846 follows on clean returns; a 570 or 810 means review. A TC 769 reverses part of the credit.
| On the same transcript | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 768 + 846 | Credit accepted and refunded. |
| 768 + 570 + 971 | Refund held and a notice issued — often an EITC documentation request. |
| 768 then 769 | EITC reversed in part or in whole; expect a letter explaining why. |
That is PATH Act timing, not a problem — the 846 cannot post earlier by law.
School or medical records showing the child lived with you, and income records, are what EITC reviews ask for.
If the IRS finds EITC was claimed with reckless disregard of the rules, it can bar the credit for two years — respond fully.
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 →Most often the PATH Act: refunds with EITC cannot be released before mid-February. After that, a missing 846 usually means a hold — look for 570 or 810.
It reverses some or all of the earned income credit that 768 posted. A notice explaining the change (often a CP11 or CP12) follows.
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 768, code 768 on transcript, transaction code 768 and TC 768 all refer to the same three-digit transaction code the IRS posts to your account.