Form 8888 Direct Deposit of Refund to More than One Account

Form

8888

Allocation of Refund (Including Savings Bond Purchases)
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Information about Form 8888 and its instructions is at www.irs.gov/form8888.

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

Part I

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OMB No. 1545-0074

2012

Attachment
Sequence No. 56
Your social security number

Attach to your income tax return.

Direct Deposit
Complete this part if you want us to directly deposit a portion of your refund to one or more accounts.

1a

Amount to be deposited in first account .

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b Routing number

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Checking

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2a

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3a

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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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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Checking

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Savings

d Account number

Part II

U.S. Series I Savings Bond Purchases
Complete this part if you want to buy paper bonds with a portion of your refund.

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CAUTION

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If a name is entered on line 5c or 6c below, co-ownership will be assumed unless the beneficiary box is checked.
See instructions for more details.
Amount to be used for bond purchases for yourself (and your spouse, if filing jointly) .

5a Amount to be used to buy bonds for yourself, your spouse, or someone else.
b Enter the owner's name (First then Last) for the bond registration

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5a

If you would like to add a co-owner or beneficiary, enter the name here (First then Last). If beneficiary, also check here ▶

6a Amount to be used to buy bonds for yourself, your spouse, or someone else.
b Enter the owner's name (First then Last) for the bond registration

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6a

If you would like to add a co-owner or beneficiary, enter the name here (First then Last). If beneficiary, also check here ▶

Part III

Paper Check
Complete this part if you want a portion of your refund to be sent to you as a check.

7

Amount to be refunded by check .

Part IV
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Total Allocation of Refund

Add lines 1a, 2a, 3a, 4, 5a, 6a, and 7. The total must equal the refund amount shown on your tax
return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

Cat. No. 21858A

8
Form 8888 (2012)

Page 2

Form 8888 (2012)

Future Developments
Information about any future
developments affecting Form 8888 (such
as legislation enacted after we release it)
will be posted on www.irs.gov/form8888.

General Instructions
Do not request a deposit of your refund
to an account that is not in your name,
such as your tax preparer's account.

Purpose of Form
Use Form 8888 if:
• You want us to directly deposit your
refund (or part of it) to one or more
accounts at a bank or other financial
institution (such as a mutual fund,
brokerage firm, or credit union) in the
United States, or
• You want to use your refund to buy up
to $5,000 in paper series I savings
bonds.
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.
You cannot have your refund
deposited into more than one account or
buy paper series I savings bonds 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.

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.

or custodian in advance, the trustee or
custodian can assume the deposit to
your IRA in 2013 is for 2013. If you
designate your deposit to be for 2012,
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 2012. In that case, you
must file an amended 2012 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
CAUTION
($6,000 if age 50 or older
at the end of 2012) to a traditional IRA or
Roth IRA for 2012. You may owe a
penalty if your contributions exceed
these limits, and these limits may be
reduced depending on your
compensation. For more information on
IRAs, including limits that apply for 2013,
see Pub. 590.

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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 savings bonds. For more
information, go to
www.treasurydirect.gov.

U.S. Series I Savings Bonds
You can request that your refund (or part
of it) be used to buy up to $5,000 in
paper series I savings bonds. You do not
need a TreasuryDirect® account to do
this. See the instructions under Part II for
details.

Specific Instructions
Part I
TIP

If you are filing Form 8888
only to buy paper series I
savings bonds, skip Part I and
go to Part II.

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CAUTION

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

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.

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. On the sample
check below, the routing number is
250250025. Tony and Jennifer Maple
would use that routing number unless
their financial institution instructed them
to use a different routing number for
direct deposits.
Ask your financial institution for the
correct routing number to enter if:
• The routing number on a deposit slip is
different from the routing number on
your checks,
• Your deposit is to a savings account
that does not allow you to write checks,
or
• 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.

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 eligible 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 2012). 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 2012 return
during 2013 and do not notify the trustee

Sample Check
TONY MAPLE
JENNIFER MAPLE
123 Pear Lane
Anyplace, GA 00000
PAY TO THE
ORDER OF

1234
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SAMPLE
Routing
number

$

Account
number

DOLLARS

ANYPLACE BANK
Anyplace, GA 00000

Do not include
the check number.

For

| :250250025 | :202020"'86". 1234

15-0000/0000

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

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Form 8888 (2012)

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 in these
instructions, the account number is
20202086. Do not include the check
number.

Reasons Your Direct
Deposit Request May Be
Rejected
If either of the following apply, your
direct deposit request will be rejected
and a check will be sent instead.
• Your financial institution(s) will not
allow a joint refund to be deposited to an
individual account. The IRS is not
responsible if a financial institution
rejects a direct deposit.
• You file your 2012 return after
December 31, 2013.
The IRS is not responsible for
a lost refund if you enter the
wrong account information.
CAUTION
Check with your financial
institution to get the correct routing and
account numbers and to make sure your
direct deposit will be accepted.

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Your Entire Refund May Be
Deposited in One Account
If there are any delays in the processing
of your return by the IRS, your entire
refund will be deposited in the first
account listed on Form 8888. Make sure
the first account you list on Form 8888 is
an account you would want the entire
refund deposited in if this happens.

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 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.

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 account listed 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 pastdue 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
CAUTION
offset, and 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
2012 tax return for an IRA contribution.
The contribution is to be made from a
direct deposit of your 2012 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.

Part II
You may request up to three different
savings bond registrations. However,
each registration must be a multiple of
$50, and the total of lines 4, 5a, and 6a
cannot be more than $5,000 (or your
refund amount, whichever is smaller).

Line 4
You can skip line 4 if you
to buy bonds for
TIP want
someone other than yourself
(and your spouse, if filing
jointly).
Enter the portion of your refund you want
to use to buy bonds for yourself (and
your spouse, if filing jointly). These
bonds will be registered in the name(s)
shown on your return.

Lines 5a and 6a
Enter the portion of your refund you want
to use to buy bonds for yourself, your
spouse, or someone else. This amount
must be a multiple of $50.

Lines 5b and 6b
Enter the owner’s name for this bond
registration. This can be you, your
spouse, or someone else. However,
enter only one name. Enter the first
name followed by the last name and
place one space in between them. Use
the person’s given name and do not use
nicknames. Use only letters and print
clearly. Do not use special symbols.

Lines 5c and 6c
If you want to add a co-owner or
beneficiary to this registration, enter their
name. This can be you, your spouse, or
someone else. However, enter only one
name. Enter the first name followed by
the last name and place one space in
between them. Use the person’s given
name and do not use nicknames. Use
only letters and print clearly. Do not use
special symbols.
If this is a beneficiary designation, also
check the box on line 5c or 6c.
Otherwise, co-ownership will be
assumed.

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Form 8888 (2012)

If you complete line 5 or 6, you are
consenting to have the bonds issued
using the following two-step process.
1. The bonds will be issued in
electronic form in your name (and your
spouse’s name if filing jointly). You will
not receive these bonds or any notice
regarding this part of the process.
2. The bonds will be immediately
reissued in the names you have
requested and mailed to you.
If you have determined that the IRS
processed your refund and placed the
order for your bonds, you can contact
the Treasury Retail Securities site at
1-800-553-2663 to inquire about the
status of your bonds.
When your bonds will not be issued.
Your bonds will not be issued if any of
the following apply.
• The bond request is not a multiple of
$50.
• You enter more than one name on line
5b, 5c, 6b, or 6c.

• Your refund is decreased because of a
math error.
Instead, your entire refund will be sent
to you in the form of a check.
• Your refund is offset for any reason.
Math errors that increase your refund.
If you made an error on your return and
the amount of your refund is increased,
the additional amount will be sent to you
in the form of a check. However, if you
requested direct deposit in Part I, the
rules under Changes in Refund Due to
Math Errors or Refund Offsets will apply.

Part III
Line 7
If any portion of your refund remains
after completing Parts I and II, you can
request this portion be sent to you in the
form of a check. Enter the amount on
line 7 that you would like to be sent by
check.

Part IV
Line 8
The total on line 8 must equal the total
amount of the refund shown on your tax
return. It must also equal the total of the
amounts on lines 1a, 2a, 3a, 4, 5a, 6a,
and 7. If the total on line 8 is different, a
check will be sent instead.
Do not file a Form 8888 on
which you have crossed out
or whited out any numbers or
CAUTION
letters. If you do, the IRS will
reject your allocation of refund and
savings bond purchases, and send you a
check instead.

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