After you file

mesquitebean · ‎February 23, 2021

@ jsabeh2 asked: "I received my refund, but it was a different amount than what I filed. How do I find out why?"

The Federal refund amount you submitted should be shown on your Form 1040, Line 35a.

Does "different amount" mean it was more than you expected or less than you expected?

In the interest of time, the rest of this answer assumes you received less than expected.

First of all, did you have any TurboTax fees that you chose to pay out of your Federal refund? If so, then in addition to the subtracted fees, there is a $40 service fee ($45 for California filers) plus possible sales tax.

Another possibility:

Did you prepare both Federal and state returns, and if so, did both have refunds? If so, be sure which refund you received. The Federal and state refunds come separately. Do not go by any total refund amount or net refund amount that TurboTax shows you in your account that adds the Federal and state together.

If neither of those things explains it, then if the IRS reduced your Federal refund, they will mail you a postal letter in 3 weeks or so explaining why. You might check the IRS WMR tool to see if there is any message there, such as any offset:

https://www.irs.gov/Refunds