IRS Form 668-D Notice: Release of Levy
A Form 668-D is good news: it's the IRS's official release of a levy, faxed or mailed to your employer or bank to stop a wage garnishment or unfreeze levied funds — either fully, or partially with a payment amount that continues.
What a Form 668-D actually means
The IRS issues a 668-D when a levy is being lifted: you entered an installment agreement, proved hardship, paid the balance, the collection statute expired, or the levy was procedurally defective. Employers and banks act on it as soon as they receive it — usually the next payroll cycle for wages.
Read it carefully: a 668-D can be a full release or a partial one that instructs your employer to keep sending a specified amount. And a release is not forgiveness — the underlying balance survives unless it was paid or expired, so without a resolution in place the IRS can levy again.
What to do, step by step
- 1Confirm your employer or bank actually received it — releases are faxed, and payroll departments lose faxes. Get a copy yourself.
- 2Check whether it's a full or partial release (a partial release states an amount that continues to the IRS).
- 3Verify your next paycheck reflects it; if not, have payroll call the number on the form.
- 4Keep the resolution that earned the release alive — a missed installment payment can revive levy action quickly.
- 5If the balance remains, keep working it: payment plan, Offer in Compromise, or hardship status.
Common questions
How long after a Form 668-D does my paycheck go back to normal?+
Usually the next payroll run after your employer receives it. If a pay date is imminent, ask the IRS to fax the release directly to payroll and confirm receipt the same day.
Does a Form 668-D mean my tax debt is gone?+
No — it releases the levy, not the liability. Unless the balance was paid or the collection statute expired, the debt continues accruing interest, and the IRS can levy again if the resolution that earned the release falls apart.
Checked against IRS primary sources — see how we source these guides. You can verify any notice directly at IRS.gov. The dates and instructions printed on your specific notice always control.
Go deeper
Received a Form 668-D? Get it handled.
Talk to a tax specialist about your notice — free, no pressure, no judgment.