I have a couple of private student loans that were charged off last year. I run into some financial difficulty and I just couldn't afford my monthly payments. My question is can they keep my tax refund?

Do you live in the US or Canada. If Canada, yes they can keep your tax refund. Student loans are regulated same as any loan. Get a job and pay off the student loan or you will forever be hassaled with that on your credit report should you ever want a house mortgage or another loan. Having a clean credit report does a lot for your credibility in life and you aren't entirely there yet, so why f***k up now.

Why do you think you are absolved because you were a student ? You owe the same as any one of us.

Tick

And in the US they may, depending on what type of student loan. Also they can consider in US putting a garnishment on wages.

Have you talked to your lender? I don't believe I had any private loans, so this information might not apply.

Some lenders offer deferments for financial difficulty, but not retroactively.

I had 10 different loans (yikes!) and I got them all rolled into one loan.

I would advise you to call your lender and see what you can do to correct the situation.

EDIT: I just looked up the federal consolidation loans, and they're only available for federal loans. Since the OP has private loans, I removed that information.