Why is my return received significantly less than what the IRS approved me for?

[Kalesmarie98]

Hi! So, long story short I only received $455 of the $3369 I was supposed to get, I was utterly confused and just figured I'd get the rest later. After about a month I started looking into it and apparently a ton of other people are having the same issue, I called the IRS several times to try to talk to someone and they couldn't do anything for me because my return was accepted longer than 21 days when I called, it was at about 29 days of my refund being accepted and I have still not received my full return. So I called the bureau of fiscal service to see if I had any offsets and they cleared me of any existing offsets, so now I'm lost in the dust with where the other $2914 went and I'm not getting any answers no matter who I contact, at this point I'm not sure what to do. Any advice? 

[SweetieJean]

How do you know that the IRS Approved the full amount?  Accepted just means received for processing, and the IRS can still change your return.

The IRS does not notify TT of any changes, but it could be sure to the stimulus and/or Advanced Child Tax Credit.

[Vanessa A]

What is your filing status?  If you are single with a dependent or Married filing jointly, then on your 1040 look at line 30.  If this amount is $2,800, then the difference probably is you entered that you did not receive your stimulus but the IRS believes they sent it to you.  The other $114 could be TurboTax fees, if you chose to pay out of your refund. 

Be on the lookout for a letter from the IRS explaining the changes they made to your return.  So far this year, the stimulus and the Advanced Child Tax credit payments are the biggest reasons for their changes. 

[Kalesmarie98]

My filing status is single, I don't have a dependent as I don't have any kids. The only stimulus checks I had received were the two sent in 2020, I never received a third one. The first one received was $1,200 and the second one I received was for $600, both in 2020. I did received a letter from the IRS about the changes but im left even more confused, I don't understand why I received way less than what I was approved for :( 

[JamesG1]

Here are some thoughts.  The communication from the IRS may have mentioned these possibilities.

Did your 2021 Federal 1040 tax return include a $1,400 Recovery Rebate Credit on line 30? 

If you did not receive $1,400 for the third stimulus payment, the IRS may think that you were already issued the third stimulus payment.  Did the communication from the IRS mention this?

At your IRS online account, you can find whether a payment was issued to you that you did not receive.  You can also find this information on your tax transcript.

If you need to trace a payment that the IRS says has been issued to you, mail or fax a completed IRS Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund.

Even a single taxpayer with no dependent children may have received the advance payments for the Child Tax Credit.  These payments were issued between July and December of 2021 and were reported on IRS Letter 6419.  Did the communication mention these advance payments?

[Kalesmarie98]

Thanks for your responses! So I looked through my transcript for 2021 and I do see a $1,400 "recovery rebate credit", however I can confirm that I have not received this rebate credit, if this is considered the third stimulus. The communication did not mention payments for child tax credit, if I had not received the rebate credit, how would I go about it? If I did not receive the rebate credit, can I open a case to get my refund adjusted to where it was originally approved for? What would my next steps be? 

[LenaH]

If the IRS has on record that you did receive the third stimulus payment, and you claimed the Recovery Rebate Credit because you did not receive it, then the IRS will adjust your refund to disqualify you from the credit because they issued you a payment per their records. 

Per the IRS, if you did not receive your payment and a payment was issued, then you must start a payment trace. If the check was not cashed, then they will issue you a new one. If the check was cashed, the Treasury Department will send you a claim package that includes a copy of the cashed check. The Treasury Department will review your claim and the signature on the canceled check before determining whether the payment can be reversed and a new payment should be issued.

To start a payment trace:

• Call the IRS at 800-919-9835 and
• Mail or fax a completed Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund 

Please see Questions and Answers about the Third Economic Impact Payment — Topic J: Payment Issued but Lost, St... for the fax number, which is based upon your resident state. 

@Kalesmarie98