What does Code 570: Additional Liability Pending or Credit Hold mean on an IRS transcript?

A hold. Something on the account needs resolving before the IRS will release your refund or move credit off the module. Official definition per IRS Document 6209: Additional Liability Pending and/or Credit Hold. Indicates additional liability pending. Freezes (R freeze) module from refunding or offsetting credit out.

IRS Transcript Code 570: Additional Liability Pending or Credit Hold

570

A hold. Something on the account needs resolving before the IRS will release your refund or move credit off the module.

The official definition, IRS Document 6209

Additional Liability Pending and/or Credit Hold. Indicates additional liability pending. Freezes (R freeze) module from refunding or offsetting credit out.

What it means for your refund

Paused until the hold releases, usually shown by a 571 posting later. Per IRM 21.5.6 the causes include things as routine as an injured spouse claim, a payment creating a credit balance, or income and withholding verification; the IRS redacts parts of the list, so nobody outside can tell you which one fired.

The folklore, corrected

Myth: Code 570 means I am being audited, and it always takes 120 days.

Document 6209 defines 570 as a liability-pending or credit hold; the examination indicator is a different code, 420. And no IRS source attaches a fixed duration: the timeframes in IRM 21.5.6 vary by marker, from 60 days for some referrals to up to 180 for certain reviews.

Worth knowing: A 570 is frequently followed by a 971 whose action code says what the IRS did next, often issuing a letter. The letter, when it arrives, says more than the transcript does.

Reading the transcript around it

Codes rarely act alone: holds (570, 810) pair with releases (571, 811), a 971 often flags the letter that explains a hold, and the refund itself is always the 846 line. The full code index maps the neighbors, including the cycle code and As-of date explained without the folklore. If the account shows a balance rather than a refund, the letters that follow are decoded in our IRS notice decoder.

Sources: IRS Document 6209, Section 8A; IRM 21.5.6; IRS refund myth page. Verified July 2026.

General educational information, not tax advice. A transcript entry only means something in the context of your account; a credentialed tax professional can read yours in full. ClearChoiceRadar is not affiliated with the IRS or any government agency.