[Judy]

Uh, if the loan had always been paid on time, it wouldn't be in default status and the refund wouldn't have been taken. Sounds like he had been in default and you were now trying to get back current which takes something like a year of on time payments to do, and hadn't reached that yet. If you keep paying on time for what he owes, then next year you won't have a problem.

If it's your husband's debt, you could file an injured spouse form and get back whatever part of the refund is due to your own income and withholding.

Good luck.