Sometimes, you'll receive a refund that's either more or less than you expected. Common reasons include changes to a tax return or a payment of past due federal or state debts.
You may have received a lower refund than expected because your refund was applied to a past due debt. Some examples of past due debt include federal or state income taxes, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, or federal nontax debt such as student loans.
If you never received your tax refund
If you were expecting a federal tax refund and did not receive it, check the IRS Where's My Refund page. You will need to enter your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund.
Some workers may have gotten salary increases in 2023 but not increased their tax withholding apace, potentially yielding a smaller refund. 'Gig' workers may have earned more income but not stepped up their estimated tax payments, again yielding smaller refunds.
If a taxpayer refund isn't what is expected, it may be due to changes made by the IRS. These changes could include corrections to the Child Tax Credit or EITC amounts or an offset from all or part of the refund amount to pay past-due tax or debts. More information about reduced refunds is available on IRS.gov.
You can increase the amount of your tax refund by decreasing your taxable income and taking advantage of tax credits. Working with a financial advisor and tax professional can help you make the most of deductions and credits you're eligible for.
Your refund may be delayed for several reasons. In some cases, you'll just get the money later than expected. In others, the IRS may send you a letter asking for additional information before it can finish processing your return and send your refund.
If the IRS decides that your return merits a second glance, you'll be issued a CP05 Notice. This notice lets you know that your return is being reviewed to verify any or all of the following: Your income. Your tax withholding.
Advice from financial experts backs up what may sound counterintuitive: Smaller is usually better. Instead of a joyous windfall from Uncle Sam, a tax refund, they say, represents an interest-free loan that you've given the federal government.
A zero-tax refund actually means you're doing something right. Financial experts espouse that this is a good thing because you haven't given the IRS the use of more money through withholdings each month than you'll owe.
The IRS won't call, text or contact you via social media to demand immediate tax payment. We begin with a letter in the mail and explain how you can appeal or question what you owe. If you're unsure whether you owe money to the IRS, you can view your tax account information on IRS.gov. Beware of phone scams.
If you owe money to a federal or state agency, the federal government may use part or all of your federal tax refund to repay the debt. This is called a tax refund offset. If your tax refund is lower than you calculated, it may be due to a tax refund offset for an unpaid debt such as child support.
How do I get a 10,000 tax refund? You could end up with a $10,000 tax refund if you've paid significantly more tax payments than you owe at the end of the year.
Federal tax withholding (Fed Tax, FT, or FWT)
If you earn less (such as work fewer hours or increase contributions to your 401(k)), the FITW will decrease. Your employer sends the federal income tax withholding to the IRS on your behalf.
Which country has the highest income tax rate in the world? While many countries have high income tax rates, Ivory Coast currently holds the record for the highest top marginal income tax rate in the world, at a staggering 60%.
The IRS can delay your tax refund until it completes any audits. This is most common when the IRS is conducting a mail audit on your EITC or ACTC return from a prior year. Normally, you'll receive IRS Letter CP88 indicating that your refund is frozen until the IRS completes the audit.
Use Where's My Refund, call us at 800-829-1954 (toll-free) and use the automated system, or speak with a representative by calling 800-829-1040 (see telephone assistance for hours of operation). If you filed a married filing jointly return, you can't initiate a trace using the automated systems.
A change in filing or marital status. Receiving unemployment benefits, but not having taxes withheld. Taking an early withdrawal from your retirement account. Having your child age out of the Credit for Other Dependents or the Child Tax Credit.
The Department of Community Services and Development encourages Californians earning under $30,000 a year to file their taxes to claim the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), a cash-back tax credit, and receive a larger tax refund.