Why am I getting a so little refund back. It even cut down my child tax I was supposed to get back.

cybilanna17 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:13:57 GMT

I put in my first w-2 and I was supposed to get $3,700 back plus over $30” in state. Then I put in my second w-2 and my refund dropped down to $1300 and I now owe the state. I also have a kid and I should be getting $3,500 already, but no.

Re: Why am I getting a so little refund back. It even cut down my child tax I was supposed to get back.

xmasbaby0 — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 19:04:53 GMT

What happened with the W-2's was normal.

You started off with your first W-2 and your refund looked high? Then you added another W-2 and it stopped looking so good? That is normal. When you added more income, your tax liability increased, so you saw your refund decrease. The program began by giving you your standard deduction—- which lowered your taxable income. (if you are filing joint it took $25,900 off your income right off the bat) So you are not being taxed on as much of the income on that first W-2. Then you added taxable income--so the refund went down. Your refund (or tax due) is based on the total of your income, not “per W-2.” Wait until you have entered ALL of your income and credit/deduction information. You can't really tell anything until it is all entered. That “refund monitor” does not mean anything until everything has been entered.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2273878-why-did-my-refund-drop-when-i-entered-another-w-2

As for your child-related credits......see below

The rules for getting the child tax credit on a 2021 tax return and now on a 2022 return are very different. For 2021 you could get $3600 for a child under 6 or $3000 for a child between 6 and 17 even if you had no income/did not work. That is NOT the way it will work for your 2022 tax return. The “old” rules are back. The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2000 per child; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1500. In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working. The credit is calculated based on the amount you earned above $2500 multiplied by 15%, up to the full $1500 per child. If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2022, you do not get the CTC. But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents

And for the Earned Income Credit—-the rules are back to the “old” rules—

Those under 25 and over 65 without children are not eligible as they were uniquely in 2021. And you cannot use your income from any earlier tax year to get the EIC for a 2022 return. There is no “lookback” for 2022. EIC for 2022 will be based on the income you earned by working in 2022.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899157-what-are-the-qualifications-for-the-earned-income-credit-eic-or-eitc

https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant

Look at your 2022 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

Child Tax Credit line 19

Credit for Other Dependents line 19

Earned Income Credit line 27

Additional Child Tax Credit line 28

And....credits are used first to reduce the tax you owe. If there is any refundable credit left over after your tax was reduced to zero, you get that part back as part of your refund.

Re: Why am I getting a so little refund back. It even cut down my child tax I was supposed to get...

RobertB4444 — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 19:09:15 GMT

Without looking at your return entirely we won't be able to tell you for sure. But I can tell you that in 2022 the child tax credit was reduced to $2000 per child of which only $1500 can be refundable.

And your refund should go down as your income goes up. That is pretty normal. If you would like a larger refund next year then you can speak to your employer and ask them to take more out of your paycheck. It definitely sounds like they should increase your state withholding.

@cybilanna17

topic Why am I getting a so little refund back. It even cut down my child tax I was supposed to get back. in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Why am I getting a so little refund back. It even cut down my child tax I was supposed to get back.

Re: Why am I getting a so little refund back. It even cut down my child tax I was supposed to get back.

Re: Why am I getting a so little refund back. It even cut down my child tax I was supposed to get...