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Refund Offset Garnishment Debt Collection

100 articles

When you owe money to the federal government, a state, or a creditor, your tax refund or other government payments can be seized to pay that debt. This process—called offset or garnishment—happens automatically and without advance notice in many cases. Understanding when and how this occurs, what debts trigger it, and what options exist to recover or protect your refund matters if you're expecting money back.

The articles here explain how offset works across different types of debt, what happens when the IRS intercepts your refund, how state tax offsets differ from federal ones, and what steps you can take if your refund has been or will be taken. You'll also find information about disputing an offset, working with debt collectors, and understanding the difference between wage garnishment and refund offset.