 TITLE: Will 2020 Stimulus Payments Affect Your Taxes? CONTENT: Can My Stimulus Check Payment Be Seized?\n----------------------------------------\nFirst, the good news. If you owe money to the federal government in back taxes or defaulted student loan debt, your stimulus check should be safe from what's known as a federal offset or federal garnishment. In other words, you're typically able to keep your full stimulus payment in this case.\nHowever, the federal government can take all or part of your stimulus check if you're overdue on child support payments.\nYou also might lose that money if a court has ordered you to make certain types of payments, such as if a judge has demanded that you turn over money to a debt collector. The Indiana and Texas supreme courts have halted seizures by debt collectors, and some state officials have advised that debt collectors are prohibited from seizing stimulus checks. In April, attorneys general from 25 states called on the U.S. Treasury Department to ban debt collectors from seizing stimulus checks.\nFurthermore, your bank or credit union might seize your stimulus check, without a court order, if you owe money to them. For instance, your bank or credit union might take your stimulus money if you have an overdue auto loan, a delinquent personal loan or an overdrawn account.\nWhat can you do if your stimulus check has been seized? Options include:\n*   Working with the debt collector to pay the money you owe in hopes of preserving the stimulus money.\n*   Reaching out to your state's child support office about whether catching up on overdue child support could free up the stimulus money.\n*   Contacting your bank or credit union to see whether your debt can be resolved so you can keep your stimulus payment.\n*   Checking with your state attorney general's office or your state's consumer protection agency about your legal remedies.\n*   Seeking help from a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization like the National Consumer Law Center. END