Form 8888 Direct Deposit of Refund to More than One Account

Form

8888

Direct Deposit of Refund to More Than One Account

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Name(s) shown on return

1a

© See

OMB No. 1545-0074

2009

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.

Attachment
Sequence No. 56
Your social security number

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1a

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2a

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3a

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 46a; Form 1040EZ, line 12a; Form 1040NR,
line 68a; Form 1040NR-EZ, line 23a; Form 1040-SS, line 13a; or Form 1040-PR, line 13a. . . . .

4

Amount to be deposited in first account

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b Routing number

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©c

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Checking

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Savings

d Account number
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Amount to be deposited in second account .

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b Routing number

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©c

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Checking

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Savings

d Account number
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Amount to be deposited in third account .

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b Routing number

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©c

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Checking

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Savings

d Account number
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General Instructions
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),
health savings account (HSA), Archer MSA,
Coverdell education savings account (ESA), or
TreasuryDirect® online account. Form 8888
can also be used to buy up to $5,000 in U.S.
Series I Savings Bonds. 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.
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.

¶
!

Why Use Direct Deposit?
● 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.

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!

CAUTION

The IRS is not responsible for a
lost refund if you enter the wrong
account information. Check with
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.

IRA
You can have your refund (or part of it)
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 or
custodian of your account of the year to
which the deposit is to be applied (unless the
trustee or custodian will not accept a deposit
for 2009). If you do not, the trustee or
custodian can assume the deposit is for the
year during which you are filing your return.
For example, if you file your 2009 return
during 2010 and do not notify the trustee or
custodian in advance, the trustee or
custodian can assume the deposit to your IRA
is for 2010. If you designate your deposit to
be for 2009, 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
2009. In that case, you must file an amended
2009 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
2009) to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA for
2009. The limit for 2010 is $5,000 ($6,000 if
age 50 or older at the end of 2010). A higher
limit may apply for 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.

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For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see the instructions for your tax return.

TIP

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

TreasuryDirect® Account
You can request a deposit of your refund (or
part of it) to a TreasuryDirect® online account
to buy U.S. Treasury marketable securities
and bonds. For details on how to do this, go
to www.treasurydirect.gov.

U.S. Series I Savings Bonds
You can request a deposit of your refund (or
part of it) to buy up to $5,000 in U.S. Series I
Savings Bonds. The amount you request must
be a multiple of $50. You do not need a
TreasuryDirect® account for this option. If you
select this option, the bonds will be issued in
your name. If you file a joint return, the bonds
will be issued in the names of both you and
your spouse. You cannot designate a
beneficiary under this option. To select this
option, just follow these steps:
● Fill in line 1a, 2a, or 3a with a dollar
amount, not exceeding your total refund, that
is a multiple of $50, but not more than $5,000.
For example, if your refund is $280, you can
enter up to $250 on the appropriate line. The
remaining dollar amount must be deposited to
another financial account, such as your
savings or checking account.
● Enter the following routing number on line
1b, 2b, or 3b: 043736881.
● Check the "Savings" box on line 1c, 2c, or
3c.
● Enter the following letters as the account
number on line 1d, 2d, or 3d: BONDS.
Note. If your refund is an exact multiple of
$50, but not more than $5,000, and you want
to use the entire amount to buy bonds, do not
complete this form. Instead, enter the above
information on the appropriate lines on your
tax return.

Cat. No. 21858A

Form 8888 (2009)

Page 2

Form 8888 (2009)

You will receive the amount you designated
by mail in the form of U.S. Series I Savings
Bonds. However, if you make an error in
figuring your refund, the bond request is not a
multiple of $50, or your refund is offset for any
reason, this option will not apply and the
entire amount of your refund will be sent to
you in the form of a check. If you have
determined that IRS processed your refund
and placed the order for your bonds, you can
contact the Treasury Retail Securities site at
1-800-245-2804 to inquire about the status of
your bonds.

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

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. If your deposit
is to a TreasuryDirect® online account, check
the “Savings” box. You must check the
correct box to ensure your deposit is
accepted.

Specific Instructions
If you file a joint return and you complete and
attach Form 8888, your spouse may get at
least part of the refund.

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 below, the account number is
20202086. Do not include the check number.

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.

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Line 4

Lines 1a, 2a, and 3a

The total on line 4 must equal the total
amount of your refund as shown on your tax
return. If the total on line 4 is different, a
check will be sent instead. The total on line 4
must also equal the total of the amounts on
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 46a; Form 1040EZ,
line 12a; Form 1040NR, line 68a; Form
1040NR-EZ, line 23a; Form 1040-SS, line 13a;
or Form 1040-PR, line 13a. The total of lines
1a, 2a, and 3a must equal the total amount of
your refund.

Changes in Refund Due to Math
Errors or Refund Offsets
The rules below explain how your direct
deposits may be adjusted.

Lines 1b, 2b, and 3b

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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 will be sent instead.
On the sample check below, 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.

CAUTION

The rules below do not apply if
you request a deposit of any part
of your refund to buy U.S. Series I
Savings Bonds. See U.S. Series I
Savings Bonds on page 1.

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 on line 3. If you asked that your
refund be split among two accounts, any
increase will be deposited to the account on
line 2.

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

Sample Check
JEFFREY MAPLE
SUZANNE MAPLE
123 Pear Lane
Anyplace, VA 20000
PAY TO THE
ORDER OF

1234

SAMPLE
Routing
number

Account
number

ANYPLACE BANK
Anyplace, VA 20000

15-0000/0000

$
DOLLARS

Do not include
the check number.

For

| :250250025 | :202020"'86".

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1234 §

Note. The routing and account numbers may be in different places on your check.

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 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 on line 3, next
from the deposit to the account on line 2, and
finally from the deposit to the account 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 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 on line 3, next from the deposit to the
account on line 2, and finally from the deposit
to the account on line 1.
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.

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Example. You deduct $1,000 on your 2009
tax return for an IRA contribution. The
contribution is to be made from a direct
deposit of your 2009 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.