My refund was 800 something dollars but I only got $600 of it why is that?

harrisxavier08 · ‎April 06, 2026

JohnB5677

If you didn't choose Pay with my Refund, it's probably because the IRS has made an adjustment to the refund. This can happen:

If there was a miscalculation of credits
Or a refund offset for money owed for (child support, student loans)

You will be getting a letter in the mail explaining the reason.

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"

mesquitebean

Also be sure you are only using the Federal refund amount as shown on your Form 1040, Line 35a and not including any state refund, which comes separately. TurboTax has a summary screen that can be confusing since it considers the Federal and state refunds (or taxes owed) together to show a net result. So sometimes a not-yet-received state refund can explain the difference for some people.

If the IRS sent a lesser amount than the refund shown on Form 1040, Line 35a, there "may" be a message at the IRS "Where's My Refund" tracker tool:

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

If you paid any fees out of your Federal refund as Expert @ JohnB5677 mentioned above, also be aware there is an extra service fee of $40 for that option ($45 for California filers) plus possible sales taxes.