IRS Transcript Code 806: Credit for Withheld Taxes
The withholding from your W-2s and 1099s, credited to your account exactly as claimed on the return.
The official definition, IRS Document 6209
Credit for Withheld Taxes and Excess FICA. Credits the tax module for the amount of withholding taxes and excess FICA claimed on a Form 1040 or 1041 return.
What it means for your refund
Positive input. 806 is usually the biggest credit feeding a refund, but it is the claimed amount; if a review questions your withholding (a CP05 situation), this is the number being checked.
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.