How long can you expect a tax refund when back child support is paid out of it first?

Question

My boyfriend owes back child support. He know that the refund will only reflect whats left after the child support is caught up to date. But how long should it take before he recieves the rest of the money.

Answer 1

Sometime it takes months before these things are settled to the satisfaction of the IRS and the Child Support people. You only get paid after the Child Support.

Answer 2

Realistically, if the IRS is going to be deducting back child support from a tax refund, they will be in contact with the state agency that is administering your boyfriend's child support account to get documentation showing the money is owed. That means that the state person has to get the record from the court that ordered the child support, and forward that record to the IRS. The IRS then has to send your boyfriend's account to a section that will audit the tax return to make sure the IRS isn't getting ready to pay the state with money they don't owe. Then they send a payment to the state, and wait for the state to acknowledge payment and to send a release from the child support debt.

THEN they look at whatever's left and send it to your boyfriend.

My guess is that he MAY get a check from them in 2007, or it may not arrive until 2008.

Answer 3

You should have received a letter by now explaining how much would be offset for child support. Call the Treasury Offset Program: Toll Free: [phone] for more information.