Your refund was applied to a past-due tax balance from another year.
Your refund was applied to a past-due tax balance from another year.
CP49 tells you the IRS used all or part of your refund to pay a tax debt from a prior year. It is a form of collection through offset.
CP49 tells you the IRS used all or part of your refund to pay a tax debt from a prior year. It is a form of collection through offset.
The IRS issues Notice CP49 when its records show a specific condition on your account. The notice itself states the amount, the tax year, and the date the IRS is working from. If any of that looks wrong, it often is worth challenging, and confirming the details is the first thing we do.
If you do nothing, the balance continues to grow with penalties and interest, and the IRS escalates toward liens, levies, and wage garnishment. Every notice has a response window, and the options are widest before it closes.
Three steps, whether you handle it yourself or have us step in.
Notice CP49 carries a response date: Review the notice. Mark it, because the IRS's next step is usually more serious.
The IRS is sometimes wrong. We pull your transcripts and verify whether the amount and the basis for the notice are correct before responding.
Confirm the offset was correct and whether a balance remains. We respond on your behalf and take the deadline pressure off you.
Send it to us and we will tell you exactly what it means and your options, at no cost.
It is a real notice with real consequences, but it is a routine part of the process and every version of it has defined options. Your refund was applied to a past-due tax balance from another year.
Review the notice. Deadlines are strict, so it is best to act well before the date on your specific notice.
Yes. Once we represent you, the IRS communicates with us, and we respond on your behalf. Send us the notice and we will explain your options at no cost.
Send us the notice and we will tell you exactly what it means and what your options are, at no cost.
