Form 8888, Allocation of Refund
Form 8888 tells the IRS how to split your federal tax refund among two or more accounts, such as checking, savings, or an IRA. Fill in the official IRS PDF below and download it.
This is the genuine IRS PDF, unmodified. Source: IRS official page.
What is 8888?
Form 8888, Allocation of Refund, lets you direct deposit your refund, or part of it, into one or more accounts at a U.S. bank or other financial institution, such as a mutual fund, brokerage firm, or credit union. You can also have part of the refund sent to you as a paper check.
The form is filed with your individual income tax return. If you simply want your whole refund deposited into a single account, you do not need Form 8888; the direct deposit line on Form 1040 handles that. The form is for splitting the refund across multiple destinations.
Who files 8888?
- Taxpayers who want their refund split between two or three accounts
- Filers directing part of a refund into an IRA, HSA, or other eligible savings account
- People who want part of the refund by direct deposit and part by paper check
- Anyone whose accounts are at different banks or institutions and wants the refund divided among them
How to fill out 8888
- Enter the amount you want deposited into each account, up to three accounts.
- For each account, enter the routing number, account number, and whether it is a checking or savings account.
- Double-check each routing and account number; the IRS is not responsible for deposits sent to a wrong account you listed.
- Enter any amount you want sent as a paper check, and confirm the total equals your refund.
- Download the finished PDF and file it with your Form 1040.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need Form 8888 for a single direct deposit?
No. If the entire refund goes to one account, use the direct deposit fields on your Form 1040. Form 8888 is only needed when you split the refund.
Can I still buy savings bonds with my refund?
The option to buy paper savings bonds with a tax refund has been discontinued. Check the current Form 8888 instructions at irs.gov for the allocation options available for the year you are filing.
What happens if my refund changes after the IRS reviews my return?
If the refund is adjusted, the IRS follows ordering rules in the instructions to decide which of your listed accounts absorbs the difference, so the deposits may not match what you requested.