notice of offset?

[Anonymous]

forgive me for being so daft, but i got a letter from DC today that i do not understand.

i paid my taxes a few weeks ago. had refunds from dc and the fed. both were deposited last week. today i got this letter:

We plan to use all or part of your income tax overpayment from the period identified above (TY 2010) to satisfy District of Columbia taxes or other government debts described below:

Individual income tax: $62.53

If you do not agree to this offset, you may mail a written request....

If you do not respond to this notice within 30 days of its date, the offset will be final. Any remaining portion of your overpayment not subject to this offset will be refunded to you.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they penalized you for being under-withheld on last year's return.

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

wait, you're complaining about $62.53 owed to DC?
heard it all now.....

[Anonymous]

I don't think she's complaining. i think she's wondering what it means. I think of myself as pretty smart but I'd probably wonder the same thing, since you said you got your refund deposited. was there additional refund of 62? i'm confused too!

[Anonymous]

i got THREE notices! all identical. one has balance of 36.33, another 40.23, another 192.44.

no explanation whatsoever.

just an address to mail a written protest.

ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Did you get the refund you were expecting or did they delete the $62.53 from the amount of your refund before your direct deposit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:forgive me for being so daft, but i got a letter from DC today that i do not understand.

i paid my taxes a few weeks ago. had refunds from dc and the fed. both were deposited last week. today i got this letter:

We plan to use all or part of your income tax overpayment from the period identified above (TY 2010) to satisfy District of Columbia taxes or other government debts described below:

Individual income tax: $62.53

If you do not agree to this offset, you may mail a written request....

If you do not respond to this notice within 30 days of its date, the offset will be final. Any remaining portion of your overpayment not subject to this offset will be refunded to you.

I got the exact same letter. Basically DC is broke so it is trying to keep your refund. You have 30 days to appeal it. I am. They have no right to take your money even if it is a small amount. You have already paid your tax debt.

[Anonymous]

lasr year a bunch of people in my neighborhood had a similar issue.

They reached out to our council person since the office of Tax was not helpful. Even though your paper only has an address, you can call the office of tax and revenue:
http://otr.cfo.dc.gov/otr/site/default.asp

Good luck in getting this taken care of.

In the mean time, I would make copies of all 3 letters and send them back to the stated address along with a letter stating that you did not have an amount due - but actually a refund.

[Anonymous]

I would call the customer service center and see if they can help you figure it out. One year I got a bill without explanation and finally figured out (with the help of customer service) that the payment I had submitted with my tax return had gotten filed under someone else's SSN. Weird things can happen with those folks.

[Anonymous]

Is this to catch convicts who violated parole? I've heard some places have called them and told them they won some kind of prize. The arrest them when they come to claim their prize. Or maybe to get your name for marketing purposes?

[Anonymous]

http://app.cfo.dc.gov/etsc/information/clarity_act/individuals.shtm#5

From the Office of Tax and Revenue:

DC Offset of Federal Refunds for DC Obligations:
The District of Columbia now has increased statutory authority to offset federal refunds for obligations owed to the District of Columbia. The offset will be used for District tax obligations and obligations of past due child support payments, past due payments to the University of the District of Columbia and overpayments of unemployment compensation that have not been recovered. Taxpayers will receive notification that an offset is to occur and will have a period to appeal.

[Anonymous]

OP you are not daft. IMHO, this is outrageous. Appeal and get your $62 back.

[Anonymous]

I just received one of these in the amount of a whopping $317.27. When I checked my tax return, indeed, I had $477 owed to me, but only $159.73 refunded to my bank account. I can't believe it is even legal for the District to essentially ROB you of 3/4 of your tax refund. I can't help but think that they are taking advantage of the fact that we have since moved to a different state. Letter of "protest" being written immediately. I'm happy to pay taxes, but don't steal my money. Outrageous.