This usually happens if you file a joint return and attribute all of the income for both spouses to only one of the spouses. And if you did that, it would have given you a larger refund than you should have received, so now the IRS wants some of it back.
What tax year is it for? Is it for 2017 or an earlier year?
If 2017 or earlier: (most likely)
EXCESS SOCIAL SECURITY
Look at line 71 of your tax return. If there is an amount there, then you claimed to have paid excess Social Security. That could happen when you enter all of the W-2 income under only one name on a joint return. The IRS refunds the “excess” Social Security. Now they have matched your W-2’s to the return and they want that money back.
Check the worksheets from your tax return to see if you entered all of the W-2 income for both spouses under only one of the names on a joint return. That is the most common reason for this problem. Unfortunately, it is user error. As you prepare your return, several screens alert you to it.
2016 Maximum $7347 2017 Maximum $7886 2018 $7960.80 (?)
2019 $8239.80
And if you did in fact make the mistake of entering all of the income for your W-2’s under only one spouse’s name, you may have made that same mistake on the next year’s tax return if you transferred all your data over from the past year to the next. Check to see—before you get another IRS letter
**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.**
