Part or all of the refund went to a non-IRS debt through the Treasury Offset Program. Here is what it means, what usually happens next, and what to do.
On your account transcript it reads: 898 Refund applied to non-IRS debt Adds to what you owe
TC 898 means part or all of your refund was taken through the Treasury Offset Program to pay a non-IRS debt — past-due child support, federal student loans or other federal agency debt, state income tax, or certain state unemployment debts. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service, not the IRS, runs the offset.
Reversal code: TC 899 — Treasury offset reversed. When it posts after this code, the effect above is undone.
Also written as: IRS code 898, code 898 on transcript, 898 IRS code, transaction code 898.
The Bureau of the Fiscal Service mails a notice showing the amount and the agency that received it. Any remainder is refunded under TC 846. If the offset is later reversed — for example after an injured-spouse claim — a TC 899 posts.
| On the same transcript | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 846 + 898 | Refund issued, reduced by the offset. |
| 898 then 899 | Offset reversed in part or in whole. |
| 898 on a joint return | A spouse who does not owe the debt can claim their share back with Form 8379 (injured spouse). |
The IRS cannot reverse a valid offset; disputes go to the agency named on the Fiscal Service notice.
If only your spouse owed the debt, you can recover your share of the joint refund.
It confirms which agency submitted the debt.
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 →Only by resolving it with the agency that received the money, or — on a joint return where only your spouse owed — by filing Form 8379 for injured-spouse relief.
It reverses some or all of a Treasury offset; the reversed amount is typically refunded.
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 898, code 898 on transcript, transaction code 898 and TC 898 all refer to the same three-digit transaction code the IRS posts to your account.