IRS Transcript Code 582: Lien Indicator
A federal tax lien exists for this period. The letter behind it is typically Letter 3172, with appeal rights attached.
The official definition, IRS Document 6209
Lien Indicator. A federal tax lien has been filed for this tax period.
What it means for your refund
A lien by itself does not grab your refund. It is a claim against your property and rights to property, not a seizure; a levy, which is a different action, is what actually takes funds. A refund can still be offset toward the same tax debt, but that is the balance being paid, not the lien acting.
The folklore, corrected
Myth: A 582 lien means the IRS is about to take my house.
A Notice of Federal Tax Lien is a public claim that protects the government's priority among creditors; it is not a levy or a seizure. Filing generally comes with Letter 3172 and Collection Due Process appeal rights, and resolving the balance leads to the lien's release.
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.