Form 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
Name(s) shown on return

Part I

See instructions.
Attach to Form 1040, Form 1040A, Form 1040EZ, Form 1040NR,
Form 1040NR-EZ, Form 1040-SS, or Form 1040-PR.
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OMB No. 1545-0074

2010

Attachment
Sequence No. 56
Your social security number

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 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 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 Last) for the bond registration

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If you would like to add a co-owner or beneficiary, enter the name here (First 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.

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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 amount shown on Form 1040, line
74a; Form 1040A, line 46a; Form 1040EZ, line 12a; Form 1040NR, line 70a; Form 1040NR-EZ, line
23a; Form 1040-SS, line 12a; or Form 1040-PR, line 12a . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

Cat. No. 21858A

8
Form 8888 (2010)

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Doctitle: Allocation of Refund (Including Bond Purchases)

Page 1 of 3

Form 8888 (2010)
Cat. No. 21858A

13:10 - 3-NOV-2010

The type and rule above prints on all proofs including departmental reproduction proofs, MUST be removed before merging.

Form 8888 (2010)

General Instructions
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.

Page

Lines 1a, 2a, and 3a

reduce any IRA deduction and any
retirement savings contributions credit
you claimed.
You and your spouse, if filing
jointly, each may be able to
CAUTION contribute up to $5,000 ($6,000 if
age 50 or older at the end of 2010) to a
traditional IRA or Roth IRA for 2010. The
limit for 2011 is $5,000 ($6,000 if age 50
or older at the end of 2011). You may
owe a penalty if your contributions exceed
these limits, and these limits may be
reduced depending on your
compensation. See Pub. 590 for more
information on IRAs.

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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 2010). 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 2010 return during 2011 and do
not notify the trustee or custodian in
advance, the trustee or custodian can
assume the deposit to your IRA is for
2011. If you designate your deposit to be
for 2010, 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 2010. In that case, you
must file an amended 2010 return and

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.

Specific Instructions
Part I

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.

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.

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.

If you are filing Form 8888 only to

TIP buy paper series I savings bonds,
skip Part I and go to Part II.

CAUTION

Lines 1b, 2b, and 3b

Lines 1c, 2c, and 3c

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.

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Enter the portion of your refund you want
directly deposited to each account. Each
deposit must be at least $1.

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.

U.S. Series I Savings
Why Use Direct Deposit? Bonds

• 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.

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

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

1234

SAMPLE
Routing
number

2

Account
number

ANYPLACE BANK
Anyplace, GA 00000

$
DOLLARS

Do not include
the check number.

For

| :250250025 | :202020"'86".

15-0000/0000

1234

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

Page 2 of 3

Allocation of Refund (Including Bond Purchases)

13:10 - 3-NOV-2010

The type and rule above prints on all proofs including departmental reproduction proofs, MUST be removed before merging.

Form 8888 (2010)

Reasons Your Direct Deposit
Request May Be Rejected
If any 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 request a deposit of your refund to
an account that is not in your name (such
as your tax preparer’s own account).
• You file your 2010 return after
December 31, 2011.
The IRS is not responsible for a
lost refund if you enter the wrong
CAUTION 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.

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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 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.

Page

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
CAUTION math error or refund 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
2010 tax return for an IRA contribution.
The contribution is to be made from a
direct deposit of your 2010 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 want to

TIP buy bonds for someone other than
jointly).

yourself (and your spouse, if filing

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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.
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
1-800-245-2804 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.
• Your refund is offset for any reason.
Instead, your entire 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

Page 3 of 3

Allocation of Refund (Including Bond Purchases)

13:10 - 3-NOV-2010

The type and rule above prints on all proofs including departmental reproduction proofs, MUST be removed before merging.

Form 8888 (2010)

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

Page

check. Enter the amount on line 7 that
you would like to be sent by check.
Note. If you also bought bonds with part
of your refund, you will receive your check
separately from the bonds.

Part IV
Line 8
The total on line 8 must equal the total
amount of your refund shown on your tax

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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
CAUTION out any numbers or 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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