topic Re: Smaller refund in After you file

Smaller refund

Adamariamaya — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:40:26 GMT

My husband and I filed jointly and received smaller than expected refund. We got $1563 instead of $4363. Will we be receiving the remaining refund? When I checked through the IRS website it said something about my social being input wrong, a dependent…I checked to see if I made the mistake of typing it in wrong but it is all the same from last year when I filled on my own. We also don’t have dependents. He usually gets around $3000 and I usually get around $1000 so the $4363 seems right. But we are getting way less. I know a lot of people have been getting refunds smaller than expected 🥴 I’m confused and can’t get through to IRS.

Re: Smaller refund

DoninGA — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 13:22:48 GMT

The IRS website probably also says something like a calculation error along with the other possibilities. This is IRS speak for we changed your tax return due to a tax data entry error.

If your refund is short $2,800 then that is because you said you did not receive the 3rd stimulus payment and the IRS has records that show you were sent the 3rd stimulus payment so they removed the $2,800 Recovery Rebate Credit that was entered on Form 1040 Line 30.

Go to this IRS website for your tax account to see if the 3rd stimulus payment is entered - https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account
If you are Married Filing Jointly also check your spouse's tax account.

If you checked your bank account in the March - May 2021 timeframe and there is not a $2,800 EIP3 payment from the IRS then go to this IRS website for how to start a trace on the payment - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/questions-and-answers-about-the-third-economic-impact-payment-topic-j-payment-issued-but-lost-stolen-destroyed-or-not-received

Re: Smaller refund

Adamariamaya — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 13:38:20 GMT

Okay thank you, we will be checking all these. I do remember inputting that my husband did not receive a 3rd stimulus check. He stated he only got one, we will check this out and see. I’ll come back here after checking.

Re: Smaller refund

Adamariamaya — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:35:09 GMT

So we both got the third one from 2021 but not the other 2 from 2020 (not sure if that matters) but I’m still confused because even so, we are still receiving less, even with our combined income. In comparison to last year.

Re: Smaller refund

DoninGA — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:51:42 GMT

@Adamariamaya wrote:

So we both got the third one from 2021 but not the other 2 from 2020 (not sure if that matters) but I’m still confused because even so, we are still receiving less, even with our combined income. In comparison to last year.

The stimulus payments in 2020, EIP1 and EIP2, are not included in the 2021 tax return. If you never received those payments and were eligible to receive them you would have to amend the 2020 tax return to add the Recovery Rebate Credit for tax year 2020.

You would need to review the 2020 and 2021 tax returns side by side to see what changed on the 2021 return versus the 2020 return.

On the 2021 return to Not include the Recovery Rebate Credit on Line 30 of the Form 1040 when determining the difference.

Re: Smaller refund

missesp82 — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 16:17:52 GMT

mines was reduced by $4000 because of the recovery rebate credit all of my dependents was the same as well and the social security numbers match nothing changed on my 1040 so I'm not understanding why they did it.

Re: Smaller refund

DoninGA — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 16:25:03 GMT

@missesp82 wrote:

mines was reduced by $4000 because of the recovery rebate credit all of my dependents was the same as well and the social security numbers match nothing changed on my 1040 so I'm not understanding why they did it.

Does the IRS website indicate that you were sent less than what was reported on your federal tax return Form 1040 Line 34? - https://www.irs.gov/refunds

If your refund is short then that is because you said you did not receive the 3rd stimulus payment and the IRS has records that show you were sent the 3rd stimulus payment so they removed the Recovery Rebate Credit that was entered on Form 1040 Line 30.

If you checked your bank account in the March - May 2021 timeframe and there is not a EIP3 payment from the IRS then go to this IRS website for how to start a trace on the payment - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/questions-and-answers-about-the-third-economic-impact-payment-topic-j-payment-issued-but-lost-stolen-destroyed-or-not-received