1790 refund expected after taxes filed and accepted. But only 497 deposited on my checking. What in the world happened?

[mesquitebean]

Are you due both Federal and state refunds?  If so, which one was deposited into your account--Federal or state?  They come separately from different tax agencies.

[trogeroy]

My state refund is less than what was deposit. But if this is my fed ref ,it's 1/3 of what it's due

[mesquitebean]

If it's your state refund, it's not as common to have a refund increased, but it's possible.  You really need to find out which tax agency sent it in order to know what to do.  You can look in  your bank (or card) account to see who it was from.

If it was directly from the IRS, it will likely show as from the US Treasury.
If you paid any product fees out of your Federal refund, however, then it will show the payer as a third-party company.

If the IRS reduced your refund, they will send you a letter in about 3 weeks explaining why.  Or you can phone them.  I'll leave more info and the steps to call them in an answer below.

[mesquitebean]

As I mentioned above, check first to see if this deposit was for the Federal refund or the state refund.

If it turns out it is Federal and is lower than you expected, first double-check the amount of  Federal refund you were due by looking at your Form 1040, Line 20a.

If the IRS decreased your Federal refund, you should get a postal letter from them in about 3 weeks or so explaining why your Federal refund is less than what you filed.  The letter should also tell you steps you can take if you disagree with their decision, including a contact number for you to phone them if desired.  The following help article will tell you a bit more about possible causes, how to check for any offsets, etc.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894477-why-did-my-federal-tax-refund-decrease-after-i-filed

The IRS has said:

"Examples that could decrease your refund include math errors, mistakes, delinquent federal taxes, state taxes, child support, student loans or other delinquent federal nontax obligations, and when the IRS withholds a portion of your refund, if further review is needed."

If you want to talk to the IRS before you receive the letter to see if you can learn anything, here's how:  800-829-1040  hours 7 AM - 7 PM local time Mon-Fri

• First choose your language. Press 1 for English.
• Then do not choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.
• Instead, press 2 for "personal income tax".
• Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".  
• Then press 3 "for all other questions."
• Then press 2 "for all other questions."  It should then transfer you to an agent, but there is likely to be a long wait.

I usually use a speaker phone so I can work on something else.