IRS transaction code 291: Abatement of prior tax assessment

What the IRS calls TC 291

Document 6209, Section 8A lists TC 291 as Abatement of prior tax assessment (Credit in the Document 6209 DR/CR column). The remarks column says:

“Abates a previously posted 150 and/or 290 or 300 in whole or in part.”

Source: IRS Document 6209, Section 8A, Master File Codes (Rev. 3/2018), entry for transaction code 291.

In plain language

TC 291 is the credit counterpart of TC 290. Where a 290 adds assessed tax, a 291 takes some or all of a prior assessment back off the period.

Document 6209 says it generates abatements of computer-generated interest where applicable (TC 197) and releases the same freezes and holds as TC 290, which include the 570 hold.

What the date next to it means

Document 6209 does not define the date on a TC 291 line. The Taxpayer Advocate Service explains that a transcript date is normally the transaction date, the effective date of the action, and the cycle date is when the IRS processed it. The Taxpayer Advocate Service explains the general rule: a transaction date is the effective date of a transaction on a tax account, and the cycle date represents the date the IRS processed it. Sometimes the two coincide and sometimes they do not. See the transcript date guide and the cycle code decoder.

What the IRS publishes about what comes next

• Document 6209 says a TC 291 generates abatements of computer-generated interest (TC 197) where applicable.
• It lists a TC 29X posting (with exceptions) among the events that release a 570 freeze, and TC 291 releases the same holds as TC 290.

This page gives no timing. The IRS documents we read state no timeline for what follows TC 291.

Related codes

• TC 290 (additional tax assessment): additional tax (the debit counterpart).
• TC 300 (additional tax assessment by examination or appeals): additional tax by Examination or Appeals.
• TC 570 (additional liability pending and/or credit hold): hold a 291 can release.
• TC 150 (return filed and tax liability assessed): a prior assessment it can abate.

Who this is for

Filers, family members and preparers reading an IRS account transcript who want the published definition of a single line before looking at the rest.

What this page does not cover

• Why TC 291 is on your account, what it means for your situation, or what to do about it.
• When a refund will arrive. Use the IRS refund tracker or your online account.
• Anything beyond the Rev. 3/2018 Section 8A entry and the Taxpayer Advocate Service explanations cited below.
• Tax or legal advice. Use your IRS online account or contact the IRS or a qualified tax professional for your case.