8888 Direct Deposit of Refund to More Than One Account

8888

Form

Direct Deposit of Refund to More Than One Account
©

See instructions below and on back.

©

Attach to Form 1040, Form 1040A, Form 1040EZ,
Form 1040NR, Form 1040NR-EZ, Form 1040-SS, or Form 1040-PR.

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

OMB No. 1545-0074

Name(s) shown on return

2008

Attachment
Sequence No.

56

Your social security number

1a

1a Amount to be deposited in first account
b Routing number

©c

Checking

Savings

d Account number
2a

2a Amount to be deposited in second account
©c

b Routing number

Checking

Savings

d Account number
3a

3a Amount to be deposited in third account
©c

b Routing number

Checking

Savings

d Account number
4

Total amount to be directly deposited. Add lines 1a, 2a, and 3a. The total must equal the amount
shown on Form 1040, line 73a; Form 1040A, line 45a; Form 1040EZ, line 12a; Form 1040NR,
line 71a; Form 1040NR-EZ, line 23a; Form 1040-SS, line 12a; or Form 1040-PR, line 12a

General Instructions

account to buy U.S. Treasury marketable
securities and savings bonds. For more
information, go to www.treasurydirect.gov.

Purpose of Form
Use Form 8888 if you want us to directly
deposit your tax refund to either two or three
of your accounts at a bank or other financial
institution (such as a mutual fund, brokerage
firm, or credit union) in the United States. If
you file Form 8888, you cannot choose to get
any part of your refund as a check. You
cannot request a deposit of your refund to an
account that is not in your name (such as
your tax preparer’s own account). An account
can be a checking, savings, or other account
such as an individual retirement arrangement
(IRA) (see page 2 for more information on
IRAs), health savings account (HSA), Archer
MSA, Coverdell education savings account
(ESA), or TreasuryDirect online account. You
cannot have your refund deposited into more
than one account if you file Form 8379,
Injured Spouse Allocation.
Note. If you want your refund deposited to
only one account, do not complete this form.
Instead, request direct deposit on your tax
return.
TreasuryDirect. You can request a deposit of
your refund to a TreasuryDirect online

Sample Check

● You get your refund faster by direct deposit
than you do by check.
● Payment is more secure. There is no check
that can get lost or stolen.
● It is more convenient. You do not have to
make a trip to the bank to deposit your
check.
● It saves tax dollars because it costs the
government less.
The IRS is not responsible for a
lost refund if you enter the wrong
account information. Check with
CAUTION your financial institution to get the
correct routing and account numbers and to
make sure your direct deposit will be
accepted. Do not use the routing number on
a deposit slip if it is different from the routing
number on your checks.

Ä

ANYPLACE BANK
Anyplace, VA 20000

Why Use Direct Deposit?

1234

JEFFREY MAPLE
SUZANNE MAPLE
123 Pear Lane
Anyplace, VA 20000

PL
E

15-0000/0000

SA
M

PAY TO THE
ORDER OF

Do not file a Form 8888 on which
you have crossed out or whited
out any numbers. If you do, the
CAUTION IRS will reject your direct deposit
request and send you a check.

Routing
number

"’86". 1234

|:250250025|:202020

If you file a joint return and you complete and
attach Form 8888, your spouse may get at
least part of the refund.
Some financial institutions will not
allow a joint refund to be
deposited to an individual
CAUTION account. If the direct deposit is
rejected, a check will be sent instead. The IRS
is not responsible if a financial institution
rejects a direct deposit.

Lines 1a, 2a, and 3a
Enter the portion of your refund you want
directly deposited to each account. Each
deposit must be at least $1. The amount of
your refund can be found on Form 1040, line
73a; Form 1040A, line 45a; Form 1040EZ, line
12a; Form 1040NR, line 71a; Form
1040NR-EZ, line 23a; Form 1040-SS, line
12a; or Form 1040-PR, line 12a. The total of
lines 1a, 2a, and 3a must equal the total
amount of your refund.

Lines 1b, 2b, and 3b
The routing number must be nine digits. The
first two digits must be 01 through 12 or 21
through 32. Otherwise, the direct deposit will
be rejected and a check sent instead. On the
sample check, the routing number is
250250025. Jeffrey and Suzanne Maple
would use that routing number unless their
financial institution instructed them to use a
different routing number for direct deposits.

DOLLARS

Do not include
the check number.

● Your checks state they are payable through
a financial institution different from the one at
which you have your account.

Ä

For

Specific Instructions

Ask your financial institution for the correct
routing number to enter if:
● Your deposit is to a savings account that
does not allow you to write checks, or

$
Account
number

4

Note. The routing and account numbers may be in different places on your check.
For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see back.

Cat. No. 21858A

Form

8888

(2008)

Form 8888 (2008)

Page

Lines 1c, 2c, and 3c
Check the appropriate box for the type of
account. Do not check more than one box for
each line. If your deposit is to an account
such as an IRA, HSA, brokerage account, or
other similar account, ask your financial
institution whether you should check the
“Checking” or “Savings” box. You must
check the correct box to ensure your deposit
is accepted. For a TreasuryDirect online
account, check the “Savings” box.

Lines 1d, 2d, and 3d
The account number can be up to 17
characters (both numbers and letters). Include
hyphens but omit spaces and special
symbols. Enter the number from left to right
and leave any unused boxes blank. On the
sample check shown on page 1, the account
number is 20202086. Do not include the
check number.

Line 4
The total on line 4 must equal the amount
you want refunded to you as shown on your
tax return (Form 1040, line 73a; Form 1040A,
line 45a; Form 1040EZ, line 12a; Form
1040NR, line 71a; Form 1040NR-EZ, line 23a;
Form 1040-SS, line 12a; or Form 1040-PR,
line 12a). If the total on line 4 is different, a
check will be sent instead.

Individual Retirement Arrangement
(IRA)
You can have your refund directly deposited
to a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or SEP-IRA, but
not a SIMPLE IRA.You must establish the IRA
at a bank or other financial institution before
you request direct deposit. Make sure your
direct deposit will be accepted. You must
also notify the trustee of your account of the
year to which the deposit is to be applied
(unless the trustee will not accept a deposit
for 2008). If you do not, the trustee can
assume the deposit is for the year during
which you are filing your return. For example,
if you file your 2008 return during 2009 and
do not notify the trustee in advance, the
trustee can assume the deposit to your IRA is
for 2009. If you designate your deposit to be
for 2008, you must verify that the deposit was
actually made to the account by the due date
of the return (without regard to extensions). If
the deposit is not made by that date, the
deposit is not an IRA contribution for 2008. In
that case, you must file an amended 2008
return and reduce any IRA deduction and any
retirement savings contributions credit you
claimed.
You and your spouse, if filing
jointly, each may be able to
contribute up to $5,000 ($6,000 if
CAUTION age 50 or older at the end of the
year) to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA for 2008
or 2009. A higher limit may apply for 2008
and 2009 if you were a participant in a 401(k)
plan and your employer was in bankruptcy in
an earlier year. You may owe a penalty if your
contributions exceed these limits.

TIP

For more information on IRAs, see
Pub. 590, Individual Retirement
Arrangements (IRAs).

Changes in Refund Due to Math
Errors or Refund Offsets
The rules below explain how your direct deposits may be adjusted.
Math errors. The following rules apply if your
refund is increased or decreased due to a
math error.
Refund increased. If you made an error on
your return and the amount of your refund is
increased, the additional amount will be
deposited to the last account listed. If you
asked that your refund be split among three
accounts, any increase will be deposited to
the account shown on line 3. If you asked
that your refund be split among two
accounts, any increase will be deposited to
the account shown on line 2.
Example. Your return shows a refund of
$300 and you ask that the refund be split
among three accounts with $100 in each
account. Due to an error on the return, your
refund is increased to $350. The additional
$50 will be added to the deposit to the
account shown on line 3.
Refund decreased. If you made an error
on your return and the amount of your refund
is decreased, the decrease will be taken first
from any deposit to an account shown on line
3, next from the deposit to the account
shown on line 2, and finally from the deposit
to the account shown on line 1.
Example. Your return shows a refund of
$300 and you ask that the refund be split
among three accounts with $100 in each
account. Due to an error on your return, your
refund is decreased by $150. You will not
receive the $100 you asked us to deposit to
the account on line 3 and the deposit to the
account shown on line 2 will be reduced by
$50.
Note. If you appeal the math error and
your appeal is upheld, the resulting refund will
be deposited to the account on line 1.
Refund offset. The following rules apply if
your refund is offset (used) to pay past-due
federal tax or certain other debts.
Past-due federal tax. If you owe past-due
federal tax and your refund is offset by the
IRS to pay the tax, the past-due amount will
be deducted first from any deposit to an
account shown on line 3, next from the
deposit to the account shown on line 2, and
finally from the deposit to the account shown
on line 1.
Example. Your return shows a refund of
$300 and you asked us to split the refund
among three accounts with $100 in each
account. You owe $150 from a prior tax year.
You will not receive the $100 you asked us to
deposit to the account on line 3 and the
deposit to the account shown on line 2 will
be reduced by $50.

2

Other offsets. If you owe other past-due
amounts (such as state income tax, child
support, spousal support, or certain federal
nontax debts, such as student loans) subject
to offset by the Treasury Department’s
Financial Management Service (FMS), the
past-due amounts will be deducted first from
the deposit to the account with the lowest
routing number. Any remaining amount due
will be deducted from the deposit to the
account with the next lowest routing number
and then from the deposit to the account with
the highest routing number.
If the deposit to one or more of
your accounts is changed due to a
math error or refund offset, and
CAUTION that account is subject to
contribution limits, such as an IRA, HSA,
Archer MSA, or Coverdell ESA, or the deposit
was deducted as a contribution to a
tax-favored account on your tax return, you
may need to correct your contribution or file
an amended return.
Example. You deduct $1,000 on your 2008
tax return for an IRA contribution. The
contribution is to be made from a direct
deposit of your 2008 refund. Due to an offset
by the FMS, the direct deposit is not made to
your IRA. You need to correct your
contribution by contributing $1,000 to the IRA
from another source by the due date of your
return (determined without regard to any
extension) or file an amended return without
the IRA deduction.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask
for the information on this form to carry out
the Internal Revenue laws of the United
States. You are required to give us the
information. We need it to ensure that you are
complying with these laws and to allow us to
figure and collect the right amount of tax.
You are not required to provide the
information requested on a form that is
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
unless the form displays a valid OMB control
number. Books or records relating to a form
or its instructions must be retained as long as
their contents may become material in the
administration of any Internal Revenue law.
Generally, tax returns and return information
are confidential, as required by Internal
Revenue Code section 6103.
The average time and expenses required to
complete and file this form will vary
depending on individual circumstances. For
the estimated averages, see the instructions
for your income tax return.
If you have suggestions for making this
form simpler, we would be happy to hear
from you. See the instructions for your
income tax return.