so a couple weeks ago i did a video with my dad who's a former irs representative and we talked
about what is happening behind the scenes with the irs and taxes but one thing that
we didn't cover and something that a lot of people put in the comments on our last video
is that they're seeing tax topic 152 or tax topic 151 and if you're seeing tax topic
152 then guys that's actually very good news and i'll explain why a little bit later
but on the other hand if you're seeing tax topic 151 then we need to talk so in this video let me
break down everything you need to know as far as the important tax codes stay tuned
all right now let's start with tax topic 152. now you may have seen this on several different places
most commonly you will see this tax topic when you use the where's my refund tool
on the irs website but you may also see this come up if you're using the irs to go app or you can
even see it on your irs tax transcript now the majority of the time these tax codes and topics
are just general guidelines that are supposed to provide us with some insights on what's happening
with your tax return while it's processing any refund delays or any other tax related
issues you can search the irs website on different types of tax topics and codes and what they mean
but it is not always clear and it's usually pretty generic so when it comes to tax topic 152
here's exactly what you need to know so if you see tax topic 152 that's actually
good news because it means that you are guaranteed getting a tax refund
in 2021 it also confirms that you have a place where that refund can be sent whether that is
direct deposited or mailed as a check now i know what a lot of you are probably thinking but sean
i already knew i was getting a tax return i saw it when i filed my taxes and listen
guys just because you see a refund on your tax software or you manually calculate it does not
mean that you're guaranteed to get one i've seen countless amount of times people refunds get
garnished because they owe money from a previous tax year or they owe money from another government
liability so again if you're seeing tax topic 152 you can at least let out a sigh relief knowing
with relatively strong confidence that you are indeed getting a tax refund in 2021 now of course
if you did not file your tax return accurately then there is always a possibility that you could
get audited and your tax refund could get reversed hey sean look i can play the uno reverse card
case in point if you got the stimulus check in 2020 and then you also file for economic relief
on your tax return then you could be in trouble so check this out guys uh i got the stimulus check
last year and on my tax return yeah i got the rebate too freeze it's the irs okay so definitely
be careful now the other thing that some people are reporting is that when they use the where's
my refund tool they are also losing all their bars or they're seeing no bars show up at all so i want
to explain this in great detail but before i do if you're new to the channel welcome i'm sean
with life accounting an accounting company that saves people from high taxes and low profits if
you're enjoying this video or getting any value at all please give this video a like because it helps
with the youtube algorithm and shows it to other people on youtube who may be also seeing the tax
code 152 or tax code 151 and it also just supports our channel in general so please please subscribe
alright so back to the bars if you're not seeing bars on your status when you're using the where's
my refund tool then guys this means absolutely nothing this is just something that is more of
a website or programming issue on the irs end it does not mean that anything literally anything has
changed with your attack status you can also try troubleshooting the bars on your own by trying on
a different device like your phone or your tablet or just trying on a different website browser
like google chrome safari or firefox but if that doesn't work then guys please don't be worried
it still could just be the irs being overloaded with traffic because as we know they are very
behind with tax refunds in 2021 but regardless the bars does not mean anything for you as it retains
to your tax return okay now let's talk about tax topic 151 so if you see tax topic 151
in relation to your refund status then that is not good it basically means that you're getting a tax
offset so instead of you getting a tax refund the government is going to take your check and apply
it to something that you already owe and this is actually already happening with people who want
a refund rebate but also got stimulus checks in 2020. so if you see tax topic 151 then that may
result in you getting a less refund than what you expected or it could wipe out your refund
altogether but on a slightly more positive note you should receive a letter from the irs
explaining the tax offset and the adjustments to your tax refund along with details on how to
appeal this action if it is incorrect so at least we get a little bit of transparency with that but
if you have to appeal then you're likely going to have to wait an even longer time
because the appeal process is much slower than simply processing a new tax return and
as we know they're already behind doing that now lastly let's talk about tax topic 203 now
this type of reference may come up if you owe past due child support unemployment taxes or
any other income taxes whether that is a federal or state tax obligation this is often initiated
by the department of treasury bureau of physical service which can legally apply
refund offsets okay so those are three important tax codes that you need to know about and again
good news if you're seeing tax topic 152 when you're checking your tax refund status now if
you're seeing something that i did not comment on in this video then tell us in the comment section
below share your stories so we can keep track of all the issues and bring more context to them
in the future and also remember to subscribe to our channel so you keep getting updates
and new videos from our company now lastly i want to say this i know we're all frustrated
but i do want to acknowledge that the irs has made some huge progress in trying to
be transparent about the refund progress back in the day it was almost impossible to see what was
going on the new tools on their websites and the apps at least give us some insights about
what's happening but of course the system is not perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement
so i hope this video helped you make a little bit more sense of everything that's going on
when you're checking your tax refund status and of course if you haven't seen my interview with
my dad a former irs representative breaking down what's happening with tax refund delays in 2021
then make sure you watch that video coming up next and also check out my video on tax refunds in 2021
that help troubleshoot your tax refund status on your own and i'll see you over there you