Code 281: abatement of bad check penalty.
From IRS Document 6209, the IRS's processing codes manual.
Have code 281 on your transcript?
Add the transcript. The forecast counts from the codes you actually have.
Check my refundRead in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
For your refund.
This code is rare on refund timelines. The IRS's own description is on the right.
Document 6209 says
Credit. Used on individual (IMF) accounts.
Abatement of Bad Check Penalty
The full Document 6209 entry, as printed
Credit (NPJ) I/B Abatement of Bad Check Penalty 47, 54 Abates previously posted 280 or 286 transaction in whole or in part. Will post prior to return (Account with no TC 150) if it is the only transaction with the TC 290 and there is an unreversed TC 280 or TC 286 of equal or greater amount in the module.
After code 281
Not enough shared timelines with this code yet. The block fills in once 30 people with code 281 share theirs from the result page.
Crowd figures, not IRS data. They describe what happened to others, not a promise.
Questions people ask
What does code 281 mean on my IRS transcript?
Document 6209 calls it "Abatement of Bad Check Penalty".
Sources
Checked against these sources on October 30, 2026.