IRS confiscation of rebates isn't just for deadbeats...it's for me!
I'm all for the government cracking down on collecting child support payments, and taking the money directly out of IRS payment seems like a winning plan. But the $2 billion that the government has collected so far isn't all from deadbeat dads. I, for instance, am part of the 39% of those who had money withheld for an unpaid federal debt. And I still don't know why.
I apparently owed the federal government $89.49 and they took it from my rebate check. I got a letter in the mail from the Department of the Treasury that told me, "As authorized by Federal law, we applied all or part of your Federal payment to a debt you owe." Then it gave an address and phone number for a Birmingham, Ala. processing center.
I called, of course, and all they could tell me is that the Transportation Security Administration had taken my money. They said they could give me their main number. They might as well have offered to give me the number for the White House to ask President Bush what was up with my payment. I didn't figure you could just call a mammoth government agency and get any kind of response.
But I did call and I got somebody and explained my situation. The catch here is that I once worked for the TSA. I spent six weeks as a federal baggage screener at La Guardia back in the winter of 2003 when I was a nearly-broke freelance writer without health insurance. The job was too physically demanding for me, and the hours (5 am to 11 am) were too awful, so I quit. Like any good journalist, I then wrote a story about it.
Presented with my phone options, I picked payroll and eventually got a live person who looked me up by my social security number and told me that the only notation in the file was that the $89.49 was an overpayment in salary. I had never received any documentation of any kind about this, yet my debt had gone into collection.
I haven't exactly been hiding from the government. I appeared on CNN, for one thing, talking about working for the TSA. Life just goes on. In the five years since I worked as a baggage screener, I got married, moved to Brooklyn and have had two children. I asked to dispute the charge and the woman on the phone took my information. She said it would take two weeks. That was nearly three months ago.
I'm usually tenacious in these situations, but there seems to be nothing much to do when the government decides you owe it money.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-25-2008 @ 6:49PM
mike said...
they took back over half of my rebate because the manditory withdrawal from my IRA put me over the income limit
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6-25-2008 @ 7:51PM
Tracy Coenen said...
Gaaaahhhh! Beth, that sucks!!!
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6-25-2008 @ 7:48PM
Ron said...
I'm one of those that is still waiting on my check,it might get here around July 3rd....MAYBE..lol
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6-25-2008 @ 9:20PM
sam said...
If IRS wants to keep my check, then they may as well pay the taxes on it at the end of the year. Fair is fair and they can take that to the bank.
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6-25-2008 @ 9:38PM
Mel said...
how about your congressperson? Running for re-election? maybe there are a gazillion people (not all TSA) who would like to find out why Uncle is screwing them out of part of their rebate checks(i'm out 90 bucks).
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6-26-2008 @ 7:25AM
steve said...
Since this money will not count as taxable income it has to be treated as a one time gift; i like this idea and want more of it; i want alot of money as ive paid taxes forever and have seen it misspent so much. No attitude just cut the check.:)
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6-26-2008 @ 12:55PM
Christine said...
Stimulus check my ass!!! i dont owe student loans i dont owe child support the only thing i owed was this years taxes and they intercepted it!!!!!!!! what they didnt think i was going to pay them????? Stupid government!!!!!! now i have to papy all my taxes every year and not get a stumulus check while illegal immigrants are sitting pretty with MY MONEY!!!!
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6-28-2008 @ 10:20AM
Natalie said...
I totally agree with you and these illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and are supported by our so called government! They need to be deported!!! They are taking jobs away from our true American's who can't find a job. Fine the heck from the employer's for each immigrant they hire!!!
6-28-2008 @ 10:31AM
Natalie said...
I totally agree with you on this.
6-26-2008 @ 6:00PM
FRANKY said...
USING THE INCOME TAX SYSTEM FOR DEBT COLLECTION AND WELFARE IS A BAD IDEA. IT JUST MAKES THE SYSTEM MORE SCREWED UP. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO COLLECT DEBT.
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6-27-2008 @ 10:32PM
Sardine said...
That's just "bad karma".
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6-28-2008 @ 10:16AM
Natalie said...
Stimulas check where is ours???? We don't owe any federal or state taxes including any back taxes, we definitely do not owe any back child support or anything else for that matter......so why can't they just cut us our check or deposited in our bank account since we our tax refund was direct deposited. What a joke!
The IRS stated in the statement we received said "if me haven't receivd it by June 27 and that we had to wait until 27 of July before we could even call"!!!! I wonder!!!My husband had been out of work due to a serious illness and we didn't get behind on our bills...we used money out of our savings.
WHERE IS MY MONEY?????
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6-28-2008 @ 12:59PM
Twanda said...
Well if your are looking for JUSTICE in our government keeping their promise on sending out stimulas checks and now deciding to take them back that's what I call JUST US
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6-28-2008 @ 12:58PM
Twanda said...
And we all thought that our goverment was giving us some JUSTICE by sending us stimulas checks to help us, now they want keep their promise that's what I call JUST US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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6-29-2008 @ 12:44PM
Twanda said...
NATALIE SORRY I HIT THE WRONG KEY I MUST AGREE WITH YOU I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR MY CHECK ALSO
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6-29-2008 @ 11:44PM
Joyce said...
I agree with Christine on this. I also did not owe anything except THIS year's taxes. But I have an installment agreement with the IRS to pay them, and I am going to pay them, as did millions of Americans who also owed taxes on their returns, but GOT a stimulus check. It doesn't seem fair at all. They got a check, and I didn't, even though we both are paying our taxes! How can they justify this?
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7-16-2008 @ 1:11PM
Robert Donnelly said...
You are a Delinquent Taxpayer in the eyes of the IRS. The fact that you are on an installment agreement does not mitigate your delinquency. Your only concern should be that the IRS properly applied your stimulus payment to your delinquent account. If it was properly applied, you should keep in mind that the stimulus payment does not effect your installment agreement amount. You still must send in the amount that was originally agreed upon. Think of it this way: If your tax return reflected a refund, you wouldn't be getting that either. It would also be applied to your delinquency.
6-30-2008 @ 7:55AM
Juliann said...
We haven't gotten our check yet and no one can tell me why. I went to the IRS site and the response for "Where's My Stimulus Payment" was "delayed". I called the number several times and, as I write this now, I am listening to "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" as I have for the last 45 minutes while on hold. I think our government has scammed us. Is it because I worked my ass off for 10 years to receive a double masters and owe the government over $40,000 in student loans? I've been paying them on time. Why can't they pay ME on time? A kickback is a kickback. If they're giving me a gift, just leave it at that. Don't take it back. It's to stimulate the economy. Not collect on a student loan.
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6-30-2008 @ 8:09AM
Juliann said...
Oh, goody. I just got through to the IRS. Apparently, our "delay" is being caused by an amended return. They had no problem cashing our check for the amended return, however it has not been "processed" yet. As soon as it is processed, we will get our check. When asked about my student loan, I was told our return has not been "flagged" yet and they could not give me "any information about that at this time." It looks like we're screwed either way. They did say that the IRS would send us a notice telling us if we were actually screwed. How nice of them.
6-30-2008 @ 8:09AM
Juliann Satriano said...
Oh, goody....I just got through to the IRS. Apparently, our delay is being caused by an amended return. They cashed our check for the amended return, however have not "processed" the amended return and we will not receive our check until they do so. Also, they haven't "flagged" our return for my student loan and could not give me "any information about that at this time". Well, it looks like we're screwed either way. I was told that the IRS would send something in the mail telling me if we were screwed. How nice of them.
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