topic Should I receive the full amount of each "tax withheld"section in my w-2s? Only my Federal income is being recognized which is less than half of what I was expecting in After you file

Should I receive the full amount of each "tax withheld"section in my w-2s? Only my Federal income is being recognized which is less than half of what I was expecting

curtis8220 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:33:46 GMT

The number of the combined w-2s is identified, but it's clear I'm not receiving that full of amount, why is that the case?

Re: Should I receive the full amount of each "tax withheld"section in my w-2s? Only my Federal income is being recognized which is less than half of what I was expecting

xmasbaby0 — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 22:11:33 GMT

No you do not get it all back.. You *might* get all or some of the amount in box 2--federal tax withheld. You do not ever get back the amounts in boxes 4, 6, etc. Those boxes are for Social Security and Medicare. You might get back some or all of the amount in box 17--state tax withheld. But you get that back only IF your tax liability was less than the amount withheld.

Re: Should I receive the full amount of each "tax withheld"section in my w-2s? Only my Federal income is being recognized which is less than half of what I was expecting

xmasbaby0 — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 22:15:22 GMT

And....do you mean you had more than one employer so you have several W-2's?

WHY DID MY REFUND GO DOWN WHEN I ADDED ANOTHER W-2?

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.”

And…adding income may affect other credits you were getting like the earned income credit.

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