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Level 1

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I got an enlistment bonus of 5,000 dollars that i got once i got out of my MOS school and it got taxed and i was told i was able to get that money back on my taxes

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
June 1, 2019
2 replies
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Best answer by Hal_Al

You did not "already pay tax". What you paid was only withholding, an estimate of the tax due. No piece of income is taxed individually. All your income, including enlistment bonuses, is added together at tax filing time. The tax is calculated on that total (after adjustments, deductions, exemptions and credits). Then total withholding is subtracted to determine if you owe more or get a refund.
By law, lump sum payments, like a bonus are withheld at a higher rate than ordinary wages. So, there is a good chance you'll get most (but not all) of that back.

Answer

Level 15

You did not "already pay tax". What you paid was only withholding, an estimate of the tax due. No piece of income is taxed individually. All your income, including enlistment bonuses, is added together at tax filing time. The tax is calculated on that total (after adjustments, deductions, exemptions and credits). Then total withholding is subtracted to determine if you owe more or get a refund.
By law, lump sum payments, like a bonus are withheld at a higher rate than ordinary wages. So, there is a good chance you'll get most (but not all) of that back.

Level 15

You must file a tax return to get a refund of any over withheld taxes ... however since that bonus is added to your other annual income (and not filed by itself) you may not get all of that withholding back.