another possibility is that you have enough withheld from paychecks to cover those taxes but have outside income for which no taxes are withheld. Owing is not necessarily bad as long as you are not having to pay penalties. Getting a refund means you made an interest-free loan to the IRS for about 1/2 year. However, some taxpayers enjoy getting a refund because they can't save and use that refund for something special like a vacation
