Carolyn Graham’s father died on Christmas Day, 1971. She was just 7 years old at the time. As a minor, she was eligible to receive Social Security survivor benefits; her mother was a representative payee until Graham turned 18. Last year, the 51 year old Graham, who works part-time at Pinkberry expected to receive a…
A Washington Post story focusing on the seizure of tax refunds by the government to repay debt that was, in some instances, decades old has attracted attention. Of interest is the authority to seize tax refunds to pay back certain obligations.
If you owe money to the federal government, your federal income tax refund can be seized to satisfy your debt. This is often referred to as “offset” since the seizures are part of the Treasury Offset Program (TOP); the program is administered by Financial Management Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Treasury. Examples…