IRS Transcript Code 810: Refund Freeze

810

A stronger stop than a 570: the whole refund side of the account is frozen pending review.

The official definition, IRS Document 6209

Refund Freeze. To freeze the module from refunds, offsets and credit elect. Code 1 indicates prefiling notification; code 3, an earned income credit check; code 4, the Frivolous Return Program.

What it means for your refund

Frozen until an 811 reverses it. The reason codes in Document 6209 are screening categories, including an EIC check and frivolous return screening, which the IRM describes as preventative review, not a conclusion about you.

The folklore, corrected

Myth: An 810 means the IRS found fraud.

No IRS source says that. The freeze reason codes are screening buckets, IRM 21.5.6 calls the frivolous-return version a preventative freeze to screen for potential criteria, and code 811 exists specifically to reverse an 810 when the review clears.

Worth knowing: 810 freezes typically come with correspondence, often identity verification (the CP5071 family) or review letters. Answering the letter is the path out; the transcript only shows the state.

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.