Refunds

IRS code 840: Manual refund issued

The IRS issued a refund manually instead of through automatic processing.

What code 840 means

Code 840 shows a manual refund, issued before or after the return (code 150) posted, instead of the automatic refund that posts as 846.

If the return hasn't posted yet, an 840 also freezes the account from issuing another refund or moving credit out (the -X freeze).

Codes often seen with 840

• 846 Refund issued The IRS issued a refund for the amount shown.
• 841 Refund canceled or returned A refund came back to the IRS or was canceled, and the amount was credited back to your account.
• 150 Tax return filed Your original return posted, and the amount is the tax it showed, not your refund.

Source

IRS title: Manual Refund (Document 6209, Section 8A, page 8A-33).

• IRS Document 6209 (2023), Section 8A: Master File Codes

Decode your whole transcript

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Decode a cycle code

Turn an 8-digit cycle like 20261505 into the posting week and day.

More refunds codes

• 846 Refund issued
• 841 Refund canceled or returned
• 740 Undelivered refund check returned
• 776 Interest paid to you

See all 39 transcript codes

TTOC Finder is independent and isn't affiliated with the IRS. This page explains what the code means in general. For your own account, check your IRS online account or Where's My Refund?