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Level 1
June 7, 2019
Solved

I didn't receive my full federal refund

I received my money a week or so after I filed them but didn't get my full federal refund.
Best answer by

  • One possibility is that you used the Refund Processing Service to pay your TurboTax Online fees. If you did, your TurboTax fee plus the additional processing fee is deducted from your federal tax refund.
  • Another possibility is that your refund was reduced by the government, either to correct a calculation error or through a refund offset. You’ll get an explanatory letter from the government if your refund differs from what was on your filed return.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3301372

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/4143297

 

 

  • Also, see question 14 from the IRS FAQs

https://www.irs.gov/Refunds/Tax-Season-Refund-Frequently-Asked-Questions

Q14: Why is my refund different than the amount reflected on the tax return I filed?

If you owe past-due federal tax, state income tax, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, spousal support, or certain federal nontax debts, such as student loans, all or part of your refund may be used (offset) to pay the past-due amount. Offsets for federal taxes are made by the IRS. All other offsets are made by the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Services (BFS). For federal tax offsets, you will receive a notice from the IRS. For all other offsets, you will receive a notice from BFS. To find out if you may have an offset or if you have any questions about it, contact the agency to which you owe the debt. See Tax Topic 203 for more information about refund offsets.

Another reason your refund amount may be different is if we made changes to your tax return that changed your refund amount. In this case you will get a notice in the mail from us explaining the changes. These reasons will be reflected in Where’s My Refund if they apply to your refund..

 


102 replies

Level 2
April 7, 2021

Why did I not get all my refund

Level 15
April 7, 2021

@genevalouise 

 

Did you enter  ALL of the stimulus money that you had already received correctly in the recovery rebate credit section when you prepared your 2020 return?  The IRS cross checks and if you did not enter all of the money you received, they recalculate your refund.

 

 

MY REFUND WAS LESS THAN I EXPECTED

There can be a number of reasons why your refund was less than the amount you expected. First of all, look carefully at your actual tax returns.  There is sometimes confusion about the amount of refund to expect when users misinterpret the “summary” they saw in TurboTax. The amount of your refund is on your tax return.  Federal refund is on line 34 on Form 1040  State tax forms are all different so we cannot tell you what line to look at on your state form.  BUT it is important to actually LOOK at your tax return forms yourself and see the amounts of your tax refunds and/or tax due.  A lot of confusion would be avoided by doing that.

 

TurboTax does not receive feedback from the IRS regarding money that was offset from your refund.  If you owed back taxes, child support, student loan debt, etc. you will receive a letter of explanation from the IRS in several weeks.  The WMR site will contain a message regarding your offset.  It is also possible that the IRS caught a mistake you made and reduced your refund. 

 

A possible reason for the reduction could be that the recovery rebate credit was completed incorrectly and you may have entered the amount of stimulus already received wrong, which could have reduced the refund you thought you were seeing.

 

 

 It is also possible that your state reduced your refund for debts owed in your state—if the state reduced your state refund you will receive a letter from the state.

 

https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-refund-offsets-pay-unpaid-debts

 IRS Treasury Offset Program Call Center at 1-800-304-3107

 

Be aware also that your Federal refund and state refund do NOT come together.  Federal and state tax returns are processed by two completely separate entities.  There is no rule as to which one will come first,

 

Did you choose to have TT fees deducted from your Federal refund?  (Remember that if you did that, you also agreed to an extra refund processing fee of $39.99)

How can I see my TurboTax  fees?   

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2565973-how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online

 

 

 https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-refund-offsets-pay-unpaid-debts

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/refunds/help/what-is-a-refund-offset/00/26301

 

Reduced Refund      https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc203

 

 

 NOTE: You can contact the IRS Treasury Offset Program Call Center at 1-800-304-3107 to ask if they have an offset for you on file. TurboTax would not have that information.

 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/tax-payments/who-can-garnish-an-income-tax-refund/L7cPPzDyc

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
April 14, 2021

I found the reason! Line 30, how does this get populated? It shows $251 and the IRS subtracted this amount from the Turbotax-calculated refund amount and therefore, $1027 - $251 = $776. Is line 30 populated by turbotax or by me? I have never heard of a Recovery Rebate Credit so I am thinking turbotax put that amount in there by mistake. Can someone follow up to let me know how this occurred? Thank you!

Paula

Level 15
April 14, 2021

@paula-o When you prepared your 2020 return you were supposed to go to the Federal Review section and complete the recovery rebate section to enter the amount of stimulus money you had already received.   If you neglected to do that, the software thought that you did not receive any stimulus money at all, and added some stimulus money to line 30.   When the IRS cross checked, they discovered that you had, in fact, received money and they recalculated your refund--because you cannot get the stimulus twice.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
April 14, 2021

I will never use TURBO again You are so unhelpful

DoninGA
Level 15
Level 15
April 14, 2021

@Chalenger7 wrote:

I will never use TURBO again You are so unhelpful


You have never asked a question or described a problem you are having.   We cannot help if there is no information to go on.

Level 2
September 12, 2021

This is the 6th Month after both Federal and California Tax Return was accepted March 10. 2021.  I opted  TO PAY You (Turbo Tax) taken from both Income Tax Returns.   California Franchise Confirmed my Refund was done March 12, 2021 and Federal Tax Return Refund was March 31, 2021.  Both was not received as a Direct Deposit with my Bank, Golden 1 Credit Union.

If Turbo Tax was suppose  to take your Fees  ......WHY haven't I got the Net Proceeds.

 

Thank you

Caesar Zosa (User ID: bbztx / SSN - - -  - -  7703)

 

Level 15
September 12, 2021

@bbztax There are a LOT of delays for federal refunds.  State refunds come from a completely separate entitity.

 

  The IRS is backlogged —-they are still trying to process millions of 2019 returns; they received millions of e-files on the day they opened for 2020 returns, and now they are burdened with sending out another round of stimulus checks.   Congress changed the tax laws in the middle of the tax season so millions of returns need to be recalculated; and now on top of all that,  they have had to gear up to make monthly child tax credit payments.

 

 

Some delays are resulting from incorrect amounts that folks entered for stimulus checks they received.   Many people have been confused by the recovery rebate credit and completed it incorrectly.  The IRS may delay your refund while they cross-check to see what you received.  Some refunds are delayed because of the tax law changes that went into effect recently.   If your return has unemployment or the premium tax credit on it, that may be delaying it.

 

 

You did not  ---  and could not have --   opted to pay TurboTax from "both" of your refunds.   You can only choose to pay TurboTax from a federal refund--not from your state refund.   If that federal refund is late, the agreement you signed allows TT to deduct the fees from your account.

 

Did you choose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund?  Is your refund taking an unusually long time to arrive?  Or was your refund seized to pay a debt you owed? if so, you signed an agreement that says TT can withdraw its fees from your account.  TurboTax would have sent several emails to you before they took the money out of your account.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901364-why-was-my-bank-account-auto-debited-for-turbotax-fees

 

 

Turbo Tax says......

We understand that these are unprecedented times and we’re committed to helping our customers who are experiencing hardships. If you’re in need of assistance, call us by the Tuesday prior to your debit date at 1-888-808-1723 to speak with a trained specialist and mention “auto-debit”, or visit TurboTax Support.

 

 

 

 

Once your federal return has been accepted by the IRS, only the IRS has any control.  TurboTax does not receive any updates from the IRS. Your ONLY source of information about your refund now is the IRS.

You need your filing status, your Social Security number and the exact amount  (line 35a of your 2020 Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:   

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

 

 

 

From this IRS website - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations-during-covid-19-mission-critical-functions-continue

 

 

 

The IRS is opening mail within normal timeframes and all paper and electronic individual returns received prior to April 2021 have been processed if the return had no errors or did not require further review. As of July 31, 2021, we had 13.8 million unprocessed individual returns. Unprocessed individual returns include tax year 2020 returns such as those requiring correction to the Recovery Rebate Credit amount or validation of 2019 income used to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). This work does not require us to correspond with taxpayers but does require special handling by an IRS employee so, in these instances, it is taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue any related refund and in some cases this work could take 90 to 120 days. If, as a result, a correction is made to any RRC, EITC or ACTC claimed on the return, the IRS will send taxpayers an explanation. Taxpayers are encouraged to continue to check Where’s My Refund? for their personalized refund status and can review Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions.

How long you may have to wait: The IRS understands the importance of timely processing of tax returns and refund issuance. We have processed all error free returns received prior to April 2021 and continue to work the returns that need to be manually reviewed due to errors.  We are continuing to reroute tax returns and taxpayer correspondence from locations that are behind to locations where more staff is available, and we are taking other actions to minimize any delays. Tax returns are opened and processed in the order received. As the return is processed, whether it was filed electronically or on paper,  it may be delayed because it has a mistake including errors concerning the Recovery Rebate Credit, is missing information, or there is suspected identity theft or fraud. If we can fix it without contacting you, we will. If we need more information or need you to verify that it was you who sent the tax return, we will write you a letter. The resolution of these issues could take 90 to 120 days depending on how quickly and accurately you respond, and the ability of IRS staff trained and working under social distancing requirements to complete the processing of your return.

What you should do: In most instances, no further action is needed but you may check Where’s my refund or you can view your account. If you filed electronically and received an acknowledgement, you do not need to take any further action other than promptly responding to any requests for information. If you filed on paper, check Where’s my refund? If it tells you we have received your return or are processing or reviewing it, we are processing your return, but it may be under review. We’re working hard to get through the backlog. Please don’t file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
September 24, 2021

Me too - so now I am going to a tax preparer - won't be using turbotax again

Level 15
September 24, 2021

@gran1 More than 130 users have posts in this thread, so we do not know what you are saying "me too" about.   If you could be more specific we might be able to help.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
October 4, 2021

I was almost $700 short of my federal taxes and didn't receive my state taxes

Level 15
October 4, 2021

Federal and state refunds come from completely separate entities,  There is no rule as to which one will come first or how much time there will be between their arrivals.

 

STATE RETURN

Make sure your state return was accepted:  https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

 

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/state-taxes/help/how-do-i-contact-my-state-department-of-revenue/00/25573

 

 

 

 

Did you enter  ALL of the stimulus money that you had already received correctly in the recovery rebate credit section when you prepared your 2020 return?  The IRS cross checks and if you did not enter all of the money you received, they recalculate your refund.

 

 

MY REFUND WAS LESS THAN I EXPECTED

There can be a number of reasons why your refund was less than the amount you expected. First of all, look carefully at your actual tax returns.  There is sometimes confusion about the amount of refund to expect when users misinterpret the “summary” they saw in TurboTax. The amount of your refund is on your tax return.  Federal refund is on line 34 on Form 1040  State tax forms are all different so we cannot tell you what line to look at on your state form.  BUT it is important to actually LOOK at your tax return forms yourself and see the amounts of your tax refunds and/or tax due.  A lot of confusion would be avoided by doing that.

 

TurboTax does not receive feedback from the IRS regarding money that was offset from your refund.  If you owed back taxes, child support, student loan debt, etc. you will receive a letter of explanation from the IRS in several weeks.  The WMR site will contain a message regarding your offset.  It is also possible that the IRS caught a mistake you made and reduced your refund. 

 

A possible reason for the reduction could be that the recovery rebate credit was completed incorrectly and you may have entered the amount of stimulus already received wrong, which could have reduced the refund you thought you were seeing.

 

 

 It is also possible that your state reduced your refund for debts owed in your state—if the state reduced your state refund you will receive a letter from the state.

 

https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-refund-offsets-pay-unpaid-debts

 IRS Treasury Offset Program Call Center at 1-800-304-3107

 

Be aware also that your Federal refund and state refund do NOT come together.  Federal and state tax returns are processed by two completely separate entities.  There is no rule as to which one will come first,

 

Did you choose to have TT fees deducted from your Federal refund?  (Remember that if you did that, you also agreed to an extra refund processing fee of $39.99)

How can I see my TurboTax  fees?   

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2565973-how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online

 

 

 https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-refund-offsets-pay-unpaid-debts

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/refunds/help/what-is-a-refund-offset/00/26301

 

Reduced Refund      https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc203

 

 

 NOTE: You can contact the IRS Treasury Offset Program Call Center at 1-800-304-3107 to ask if they have an offset for you on file. TurboTax would not have that information.

 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/tax-payments/who-can-garnish-an-income-tax-refund/L7cPPzDyc

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
February 16, 2022

I only got 2555. Can you find out why?

Level 15
February 16, 2022

@Cynthiawayne Please read the reply that is directly above your own question.   Your question was answered here before you even asked---if you read the thread.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
February 25, 2022

I inly received 1200 when i was suppose to receive 2608

Level 15
February 25, 2022

@Cyntresa20 That sounds like it might be the $1400 stimulus----did you receive the $1400 3rd EIP last year?   If you already received it and then did not say on your return that you got it, it went on line 30 of your tax return.   The IRS knows if you received it.   You cannot get it twice, so they would remove it if you put it there by mistake.   You will get a letter of explanation from the IRS.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
March 13, 2022

Hi if I received letter 6475 and my hubby received too I need to add all together right and put the total amount of mines and hubby EIP to the recovery rebate? Which is line 30?thanks waiting for reply.

Level 2
February 25, 2022

i am confused

Level 2
March 2, 2022

Hi, I’m curious, it also happened to me as well.. in conclusion did they ever returned your money back ? 

Level 2
March 2, 2022

No they did not. they've barely acknowledged the missing funds. I haven't even received the  payment from their 2021 economic recovery plan, so now they owe me around $3400.

Level 10
March 2, 2022

You will need to contact the IRS. Please see How do I contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? for more information, including the IRS phone number and hours of operation. You may want to try calling right when they open since they have been very busy throughout the day.

@christianjv8462