What does Code 846: Refund Issued mean on an IRS transcript?

The refund transaction itself. The date beside it is the date the IRS issued your refund, and the amount is what was sent, including any interest. Official definition per IRS Document 6209: Refund of Overpayment (generated transaction). Debits the tax module for the amount of overpaid tax, plus applicable interest, to be refunded to the taxpayer.

IRS Transcript Code 846: Refund Issued

846

The refund transaction itself. The date beside it is the date the IRS issued your refund, and the amount is what was sent, including any interest.

The official definition, IRS Document 6209

Refund of Overpayment (generated transaction). Debits the tax module for the amount of overpaid tax, plus applicable interest, to be refunded to the taxpayer.

What it means for your refund

This IS the refund. Per the Taxpayer Advocate's explainer, the 846 posting shows the date and amount of the refund; everything else on the transcript is prologue.

The folklore, corrected

Myth: The 846 date is the day the money hits my bank account.

It is the issuance date. Where's My Refund says a direct deposit may take up to 5 days to show in your account after the refund is sent, and a mailed check several weeks.

Worth knowing: If the 846 amount is smaller than expected, look for an 898 (Treasury offset) or 826 (applied to another tax year) beside it explaining the difference.

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.