You have not provided any details about how many children you had, their ages, etc. Did you receive the advance child tax credit payments sent between July and December 2021? And when the software asked you to enter how much you received did you enter the entire amount? Remember that if you filed a joint return you had to enter the amount for EACH spouse. The IRS sent out letter 6419 to each parent that received those payments.
If you received the advance payments, you could only get the other half of the CTC with your tax refund; what was on line 28 of your Form 1040?
If you received monthly child tax credit payments of $250 or $300 per month between July and December of 2021, then you got letter 6419 from the IRS, and you were required to enter the amount of the advance payments. Only the remaining amount of the CTC should have been on line 28 of your Form 1040.
The IRS knows how much they sent to you so if you answered incorrectly they reduced your refund accordingly. Lots of people made mistakes with this credit, as well as mistakes with the recovery rebate credit.
The IRS will send you a letter that explains why your refund was reduced or why you owe more. Meanwhile it might help you to check your online IRS account.
https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account
https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-refunds/why-is-my-tax-refund-not-what-i-expected-49240/
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/questions-and-answers-about-the-third-round-economic-impact-payment-top...
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.
**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.**
