JamesG1
Expert Alumni

After you file

Are you saying that the ‘refund meter’ in the upper left hand corner of the screen said $X after the state and Federal review and immediately before filing?

 

Then the e-filed amount turned out to be $Y?  With no explanation of the difference and no Federal or state offset of your refund?

 

Or are you saying the following?

 

The ‘refund meter’ in the upper left hand corner of the screen changes as you enter the first, second, then third W-2

 

The ‘refund meter’ changes again after you enter deductible expenses and establish your eligibility for credits.

 

As a rule, the ‘refund meter’ tends to look bigger as you start your tax return because the numbers on your first W-2 are ‘shielded’ by your tax return standard deduction.  Subsequent W-2’s are entered after your standard deduction has been ‘used up’ and the ‘refund meter’ tends to go down with each W-2 that you enter.

 

In addition, as you add income, you may move to a higher tax bracket and the total income is recalculated at a higher percentage.  'Refund meter' goes down.

 

Then expenses and credit information are added and they tend to increase the ‘refund meter’.

 

The ‘meter’ recalculates with each piece of data that is entered.  Add income, refund tends to go down.  Add deductible expenses and credits, refund tends to go up.

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