8888 Direct Deposit of Refund to More than One Account

Form

8888

Allocation of Refund (Including Savings Bond Purchases)

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

▶

Go to www.irs.gov/Form8888 for the latest information.
▶ Attach to your income tax return.

1a

2020

Attachment
Sequence No. 56
Your social security number

Name(s) shown on return

Part I

OMB No. 1545-0074

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 (see instructions) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

b Routing number

▶c

Checking

Savings

d Account number
2a

Amount to be deposited in second 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
3a

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

Part II

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CAUTION

4

U.S. Series I Savings Bond Purchases

Complete this part if you want to buy paper bonds with a portion of your refund.
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.
4
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

c

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5a

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6a

Paper Check

Complete this part if you want a portion of your refund to be sent to you as a check.
Amount to be refunded by check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Part IV
8

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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
7

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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

c

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7

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 (2020)

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Form 8888 (2020)

Future Developments

Why Use Direct Deposit?

TreasuryDirect® Account

Information about any future developments
affecting Form 8888 (such as legislation
enacted after we release it) will be posted
on www.irs.gov/Form8888.

• 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 saves tax dollars because it costs the
government less.
• It is more convenient. You don’t have to
make a trip to the bank to deposit your
check.

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 http://go.usa.gov/3KvcP.

General Instructions
Purpose of Form
Use Form 8888 if:
• You want us to directly deposit your
refund (or part of it) to either two or three
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 at least part of your
refund to buy up to $5,000 in paper or
electronic series I savings bonds.
An account can be a checking, savings,
or other account such as:
• An individual retirement arrangement
(IRA),
• A health savings account (HSA),
• An Archer MSA,
• A Coverdell education savings account
(ESA), or
• A TreasuryDirect® online account.
You can’t have your refund deposited into
more than one account or buy paper series I
savings bonds if you file Form 8379, Injured
Spouse Allocation.
Deposit of refund to only one account. If
you want your refund deposited to only one
account, don’t complete this form. Instead,
request direct deposit on your tax return.
Account must be in your name. Don’t
request a deposit of your refund to an
account that isn’t in your name, such as
your tax return preparer’s account.
Although you may owe your tax return
preparer a fee for preparing your return,
don’t have any part of your refund
deposited into the preparer’s account to
pay the fee.
The number of refunds that can be
directly deposited to a single account or
prepaid debit card is limited to three a year.
After this limit is reached, paper checks will
be sent instead. Learn more at
www.irs.gov/Individuals/Direct-DepositLimits.
Amended return. Don’t attach Form 8888
to Form 1040-X. A refund on an amended
return can’t be directly deposited to an
account or used to buy savings bonds.

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 won’t accept a deposit for 2020).
If you don’t, 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 2020 return during
2021 and don’t notify the trustee or
custodian in advance, the trustee or
custodian can assume the deposit to your
IRA in 2021 is for 2021. If you designate
your deposit to be for 2020, 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 isn’t made by that date, the
deposit isn’t an IRA contribution for 2020.
In that case, you must file an amended
2020 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 $6,000 ($7,000
CAUTION if age 50 or older at the end of
2020) to a traditional IRA or Roth
IRA for 2020. You may owe a penalty if your
total contributions exceed these limits, and
these limits may be reduced depending on
your compensation and income. For more
information on IRA contributions, see Pub.
590-A. If the limits on IRA contributions
change for 2021, Pub. 590-A will have the
new 2021 limits.

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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 series I
savings bonds. You can buy them
electronically by direct deposit into your
TreasuryDirect® account. See instructions
under Part I for details. Or, if you don’t
have a TreasuryDirect® account, you can
buy paper savings bonds. 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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If you file a joint return and
complete Form 8888, your
spouse may get at least part of
the refund.

CAUTION

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.
Your entire deposit 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.
An account can be a checking, savings,
or other account such as an IRA, HSA,
Archer MSA, ESA, or TreasuryDirect®
online account.

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.

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

Don’t 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 (2020)

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
doesn’t 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. Don’t 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. If your deposit is
to 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 in these instructions,
the account number is 20202086. Don’t
include the check number.

Reasons Your Direct Deposit
Request Will Be Rejected
If any of the following apply, your direct
deposit request will be rejected and a
check will be sent instead.
• You are asking to have a joint refund
deposited to an individual account, and
your financial institution(s) won’t allow this.
The IRS isn’t responsible if a financial
institution rejects a direct deposit.
• The name on your account doesn’t match
the name on the refund, and your financial
institution(s) won’t allow a refund to be
deposited unless the name on the refund
matches the name on the account.
• Three direct deposits of tax refunds have
already been made to the same account or
prepaid debit card.
• You haven’t given a valid account
number.
• You file your 2020 return after
November 30, 2021.
If your financial institution rejects one or
two but not all of your direct deposit
requests, you may get part of your refund
as a paper check and part as a direct
deposit.
Example. You complete lines 1 and 2
correctly but forget to enter an account
number on line 3d. You will get a paper
check for any amount shown on line 3a.
The parts of your refund shown on lines

1a and 2a will be directly deposited to the
accounts you indicated.
The IRS isn’t 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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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 to 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 to each
account. Due to an error on your return,
your refund is decreased by $150. You
won’t 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) that
are subject to offset by the Treasury
Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service,
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,
CAUTION 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.
Example. You deduct $1,000 on your
2020 tax return for an IRA contribution. The
contribution is to be made from a direct
deposit of your 2020 refund. Due to an
offset by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service,
the direct deposit isn’t 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.

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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 can’t be
more than $5,000 (or your refund amount,
whichever is smaller).
You can skip line 4 if you want
buy bonds for someone other
TIP to
than yourself (and your spouse,
if filing jointly).

Line 4
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

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Form 8888 (2020)

last name and place one space in between
them. Use the person’s given name and
don’t use nicknames. Use only letters and
print clearly. Don’t use 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
don’t use nicknames. Use only letters and
print clearly. Don’t use special symbols.
If this is a beneficiary designation, also
check the box on line 5c or 6c. Otherwise,
co-ownership will be assumed.
The bonds will be issued 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
844-284-2676 to ask about the status of
your bonds.

When your bonds won’t be issued. Your
bonds won’t be issued if any of the
following apply.
• The bond request isn’t a multiple of $50.
• Your refund is decreased because of a
math error.
• You enter more than one name on line
5b, 5c, 6b, or 6c.
• Your refund is offset for any reason.
Instead, your refund will be sent to you in
the form of a check.
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.
Don’t file a Form 8888 on which
you have crossed out or whited
out any numbers or letters. If
CAUTION you do, the IRS will reject your
allocation of refund and savings bond
purchases, and send you a check instead.

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