turbotax icon
turbotax icon
turbotax icon
turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Announcements
Close icon
Do you have a TurboTax Online account?

We'll help you get started or pick up where you left off.

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

In a previous question I asked about the refund that I will be receiving after the IRS recalculates my return. According to my  calculations on paper, my refund should be much higher than what is showing on my updated tax summary in TurboTax. It seems that my EITC is not being adjusted to a higher amount due to the drop in my income.

 

According to the reports that I am seeing, I should not be required to file an amended return to get the increase in the EITC due to my income dropping from the unemployment exemption. But I'm also seeing reports that changes in EITC due to the unemployment will require an amended return in order to get it.

 

I filed my return using TT and claimed the EITC prior to the unemployment exemption taking effect. Will the IRS recalculate the EITC prior to sending out the updated refunds, or will an amended return be necessary to get the difference in EITC?

Connect with an expert
x
Do you have an Intuit account?

Do you have an Intuit account?

You'll need to sign in or create an account to connect with an expert.

1 Best answer

Accepted Solutions
rjs
Level 15
Level 15

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

1. Don't rely on the summaries in TurboTax. Look at the actual forms.


2. You might have to go through the EITC questions in TurboTax again to get it to recalculate.


3. There is a certain range of income in which the EITC hits a plateau. In that range, a decrease in income does not change the EITC amount. The exact range depends on filing status and the number of children.


4. It doesn't really matter what TurboTax does. The IRS is not using TurboTax to do the recalculation. Wait and see what the result of the IRS recalculation is. The refund that you actually get depends on what the IRS does, not what TurboTax does.


5. There's nothing you can do now, anyway, except wait to hear from the IRS. It might take several months, because you are one of the people with a "more complex" return.

 

View solution in original post

16 Replies
rjs
Level 15
Level 15

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

If you claimed the EITC on the tax return that you filed, the IRS says they will recalculate the EITC when they recalculate the unemployment exclusion. You should not file an amended return. See the following IRS announcement for details.


IRS to recalculate taxes on unemployment benefits; refunds to start in May


(An amended return is needed when someone did not claim the EITC on his filed return, but becomes eligible for it because of the unemployment exclusion. In that case the IRS will not automatically determine that the person is eligible for the EITC.)

 

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

The tax summary that was updated on my TT account shows that TT has recalculated the amount of my refund, but the tax summary does not list the EITC amount. The only difference I see, is that TT deducted the amount of unemployment(that I received in 2020) from my AGI, which changed my tax liability, and the amount of additional refund due would be correct if only my tax liability had changed. But the amount of EITC I have earned, due to the new reduction in my income, would reduce my tax liability by a substantial amount.

rjs
Level 15
Level 15

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

1. Don't rely on the summaries in TurboTax. Look at the actual forms.


2. You might have to go through the EITC questions in TurboTax again to get it to recalculate.


3. There is a certain range of income in which the EITC hits a plateau. In that range, a decrease in income does not change the EITC amount. The exact range depends on filing status and the number of children.


4. It doesn't really matter what TurboTax does. The IRS is not using TurboTax to do the recalculation. Wait and see what the result of the IRS recalculation is. The refund that you actually get depends on what the IRS does, not what TurboTax does.


5. There's nothing you can do now, anyway, except wait to hear from the IRS. It might take several months, because you are one of the people with a "more complex" return.

 

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

I will wait and see what the IRS actually does.

 

It's just confusing to see that TT has changed my tax summary and listed an actual amount of additional refund, which looks incorrect when considering the EITC amount will be different by over $1200 in itself.

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

This is SOP ... when the program is updated  any returns in progress or completed will be also updated if you opened it up. 

 

To get the additional EIC you must open the return and  review the EIC section again to update that information since it was not a program change.  

vhlokup7
New Member

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

i filed single with turbo tax.when can i expect my refund.thought it was suppose to start at begging of may with single filers.thanks

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question


@vhlokup7 wrote:

i filed single with turbo tax.when can i expect my refund.thought it was suppose to start at begging of may with single filers.thanks


TurboTax receives no information from the IRS concerning tax refunds of any kind.

Go to this IRS website for information - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-begins-correcting-tax-returns-for-unemployment-compensation-income-...

June23
Returning Member

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

how  much and when

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

@June23 We cannot answer how much you will get for the extra unemployment refund or when you will get it.

 

 

If you are eligible for the extra refund for federal tax that was withheld from your unemployment the IRS will be sending you an additional refund sometime during the next several months.  TurboTax cannot track or predict when it will be sent.

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-topics/help/how-do-i-get-the-new-unemployment-benefits-if-i-ve...

 

 

Please read this very recent news from the IRS:

 

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-to-recalculate-taxes-on-unemployment-benefits-refunds-to-start-in-m...

 

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-begins-correcting-tax-returns-for-unemployment-compensation-income-...

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-credits-and-deductions/help/am-i-eligible-for-a-new-credit-or-...

**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.**

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

What about the payment I sent to the IRS with the initial tax return?  Will their recalculation also include refunding me that amount? 

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

One of the reasons the IRS is recalculating refunds is to give back money to people who paid tax on unemployment they do not need to pay tax on.    So---wait for the IRS to sort it out.

 

 

If you are eligible for the extra refund for federal tax that was withheld from your unemployment the IRS will be sending you an additional refund sometime during the next several months.  TurboTax cannot track or predict when it will be sent.  The IRS has not provided a way for you to track it, so all you can do is wait for the refund to arrive.

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-topics/help/how-do-i-get-the-new-unemployment-benefits-if-i-ve...

 

 

Please read this very recent news from the IRS:

 

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-to-recalculate-taxes-on-unemployment-benefits-refunds-to-start-in-m...

 

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-begins-correcting-tax-returns-for-unemployment-compensation-income-...

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-credits-and-deductions/help/am-i-eligible-for-a-new-credit-or-...

 

 

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2020-unemployment-compensation-exclusion-faqs

 

 

 

You *might* need to amend your state return for unemployment that was taxed by your state.

 

https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/state-tax/602307/taxes-on-unemployment-benefits-a-state-by-state-gui...

**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.**
rjs
Level 15
Level 15

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question


@LauraC1 wrote:

What about the payment I sent to the IRS with the initial tax return?  Will their recalculation also include refunding me that amount? 


@LauraC1  You don't necessarily get back the full amount that you paid with your return. You will get a refund of the tax on up to $10,200 of your unemployment. The amount of the refund depends on what tax bracket you are in, and other factors. The $300 that you paid with your tax return (according to your other posts) is not something separate. It's part of the total tax that you paid. If the refund for your unemployment is less than the $300 that you paid with your return, you will only get back part of the $300. If the refund for your unemployment is more than $300, you will get back the $300 and more. The IRS knows that you paid the $300, and will take it into consideration. What you see now in TurboTax doesn't matter. The IRS is looking at the tax return that you filed and the total amount of tax that you paid, including the $300. They are not looking at TurboTax when they recalculate your tax return.

 

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

YES ... the amount paid with the original return will be taken into consideration ... trust me they know what you paid already.  

June23
Returning Member

Unemployment Exemption Refund Question

YES what do i have to do 

Manage cookies