OHGODOHGODOHGOD.

[apocalypsos]

They're putting my refund towards an outstanding debt. That's why I don't have it.

Would they put it towards credit card debt? Honestly, that's the only thing I can think of, considering my only other debt is my college loans and I'm paying them. (The credit card debt, I can literally not afford to pay. Hell, part of the refund was probably going towards bankruptcy filing.)

... I'm going to hyperventilate.

EDIT: It is the fucking student loan.

So, let's see. This is the second time in two years I've been dicked out of a new laptop at the last second, I still owe the dentist five hundred bucks, I have $390 in my bank account, no groceries, and the $425 rent's due on Monday.

Oh, and I have no alcohol in the house.

After I stop crying, I may put up a Paypal button because it's either that or a mental breakdown.

Comments

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

The debt was not specified anywhere? How'd you learn this?

I highly doubt they'd apply it to credit card debt. I don't think they can do that since it's not a government loan.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

The email I got back from the TurboTax bank said as much, so I called the IRS refund hotline and they said as much, too. They didn't even say if I'd get part of it or not.

[kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com]

Wait, can they legally DO that? That sounds messed up!

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

They can, but I honestly can't figure out what they could take it for. The credit card debt is it. I've been working with the college loan folks the past few months to get my payments straight so I can get this shit out of the way, so I can possibly see how that could be it.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

Was there a court judgement against you for it? That's (AFAIK) the only way that can be done unless you have a debt to the IRS itself.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I don't know of any court judgment against me. That's what gets me. They're all "it's to pay back past debt" but I can't get an answer as to what it might be.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

If you don't owe the IRS money and you don't have court judgements, they shouldn't be taking it. They're screwing you.

[apetslife.livejournal.com]

I think the only thing they can take it for is student loans, back taxes, and child support, unless you have a court judgement or a legal action to garnish your income. Can you get more details? Where is it going? Oh man, that sucks so hard, it happened to my brother last year because even though he was paying his college loans they considered him "behind" and used the money to "catch him up." :( I'm so sorry and hope you can get it sorted.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

That better not be what it is. I had a hard time paying my college loans last summer but I was fucking unemployed and I'm paying them now.

[apetslife.livejournal.com]

I think if you call the IRS they have to tell you where the money is going, I'll check with my mom (the tax accountant) and see if she has advice on a number you can call, anything like that!

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

My mother works for the IRS and I'll see if she knows as well, but it could very well be for college debt. I take it nothing like this has happened before?

[dorei.livejournal.com]

With your student loans, did you file paperwork for hardship deferment?

[kijikun.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure they can't legally do that!

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

If it's the college loan people, you better believe we're going to have fucking WORDS.

[kijikun.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if your paying they can't do that. I'm surprised the IRS let them.

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

They can apply refunds toward some kinds of debt, certainly; I owe for 2008 so any refund I'd get would go toward that first.

[purple-smurf.livejournal.com]

Oh, FUCK. I'm sorry. That's all I've got. FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKITYFUCK.

*uses Preacher's Kid icon for the swearing*

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

Wow. That...just plain sucks. :( I'm sorry it's happening to you, and I hope you can work it out.

[copernica3.livejournal.com]

There is a LOT, a metric fuckton of legal stuff and paperwork the credit card companies have to go through to do that sort of thing, and I think it's truly weird that they got it directly from the IRS without it going through the bank and then a bank levy. In NYC they are required to try several different kinds of notification and whatnot to even try for something like a wage garnishment. I know you don't live here, but still.
Things could have changed, I haven't worked in collections for two years now, but I think it is probably student loans or the irs itself.
I hope it works out!

[faithette.livejournal.com]

about 20 years ago, they took my refund to repay a school loan I got from the government.

As far as I know, the only way they can keep your refund is if it's for a government loan.

I'm so sorry this happened.

[agent-mimi.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I am SO SO sorry.

I have to say, it's probably the student loans. A long time ago K-State insisted I owed them $400 for a temporary student loan which I had paid off, but one employee insisted I hadn't. He got obsessed about it, harassed me, then got the state to send my state tax refund to him directly on the basis of his word alone. I wasn't informed until the money was gone, and I discovered there was no law stating I had to be informed.

Meanwhile, with credit card debt, I've learned through experience that they require court orders to put liens on your property or money. It's got to be the student loans.

[zephiey.livejournal.com]

If you have defaulted or become behind on student loans the IRS is legally able to take your refund in order to settle the debt. Years ago I had an outstanding debt of less than 100.00 dollars and they took a portion of my refund to settle the debt.

You will receive a letter from the IRS stating to who the refund was turned over to. Once you are notified you need to contact the lender and find out what your payoff is after the refund was applied. Then set up payment arrangements in order to pay your loan, because until the student loan is paid off the IRS can and will take your refund to apply to your Stafford Loan debt.

Now that being said, your state refund will not be affected by this. And you can file an injured claim, I don't remember the exact IRS form and try to get a portion of your refund returned to you. The worst thing they can do is deny the injured claim.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

And you can file an injured claim, I don't remember the exact IRS form and try to get a portion of your refund returned to you. The worst thing they can do is deny the injured claim.

Thanks for the head's up on that. I'll have to go look it up and see how soon I can file that.

[killerweasel.livejournal.com]

That really, really sucks.

That must be why my bankruptcy lawyer said I had to call him before I file my taxes so none of the people I owed can grab any of my refund even after my bankruptcy was cleared by the courts.

[jamethiel]

Argh. I'm so sorry. That's horrible. I hope you manage to get at least a portion of it back

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

That sucks.

[eleniangel.livejournal.com]

That really sucks, I'm sorry. I hope that you get everything figured out soon.

[lisaofdoom.livejournal.com]

That's no good at all. :(

[laughingrat.livejournal.com]

Oh Jesus Fucking Christ, how is this even legal? And who the hell are they to decide that your money goes anywhere other than an IRS debt? Seriously? That's your fucking money! It's your tax money, which you overpaid, which they have already been dicking around with for a year! AUGH!

[florahart]

Yeah, every year the feds owe me money. Every year, the state of Oregon gets it, because they are insane and can't come up with a coherent description of what I so or don't owe--no, dude, you have NO IDEA. These people will tell me exactly opposing things in the same day, and then do it AGAIN the next day. You owe us $2000! We are even! We owe you $54! You owe us $721! We owe you $389 only we think you might owe us so we're not giving you it!

Plus, the state tax charts are totally screwed up; EVERYONE ends up owing them every year. Good system.

I pretty much have ceased expecting to ever see an actual federal refund while I live in this state.

In any case, I'm sorry the $ are going not where you thought.

[faith-girl222.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[aurora]

Gaaaaah, I'm sorry.

[anoel.livejournal.com]

*hugs* If I wasn't worried about making it to NY with the limited money I have, I'd totally donate. They really really suck.

[fufaraw]

Oh that's--yeah. That really sucks, and I'm sorry. I hope you get it sorted out as soon as possible, and with the least damage to you.

[fyrdrakken]

I had a boyfriend one year who had that happen -- he actually drove to a neighboring state to pick up his refund check, IIRC, but discovered that it had been applied towards something or other instead and he'd gotten his car towed for nothing. I can't remember what it was that it had been ganked for in his case, though I doubt it was student loans.