topic Re: Error in Return in After you file

Error in Return

chip1225 — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:38:29 GMT

I uploaded all of my documents electronically and was scheduled to receive a refund of $2033. Instead I just received a notice from the IRS that I owe $453! I did not enter any pertinent information manually, yet there was a discrepancy in Social Security overpayment. How can that happen if you are using numbers directly from uploaded documents such as W-2s?!

Re: Error in Return

VolvoGirl — Mon, 01 May 2023 18:24:00 GMT

Are you married? Did you have excess Social Security? You may have entered both spouse's W2 under the same spouse so it looked like 1 person went over the max.

You get excess SS back if you had more than 1 employer and those employers took out more than the max for Social Security tax in W2 box 4. For 2023 the max for Social Security is $9,932.40 on $160,200 of wages (160,200 x 6.2%). And it is for each spouse separately if married. Check 1040 Schedule 3 line 11 which goes to 1040 line 31.

Re: Error in Return

xmasbaby0 — Mon, 01 May 2023 18:24:44 GMT

What tax year is this for? Did you file a joint return? Did you enter all of the W-2's under only one of your names by mistake? That mistake can lead to an inflated refund for paying excess Social Security----but if you did not separate the W-2's by which spouse they were for, the IRS caught the mistake and wants that refund back.

You should always save your own W-2’s for your records—now you need to look at them to check. Look at your W-2 Box 4 What does it say? Is it more than the maximum for the tax year?

2016 Maximum $7347 2017 Maximum $7886 2018 $7960.80

2019 $8239.80 2020 $8537.40 2021 $8853.60 2022 $9114.00

Check the worksheets from your tax return to see if you entered all of the W-2 income for both spouses under only one of the names on a joint return. That is the most common reason for this problem. Unfortunately, it is user error. As you prepare your return, several screens alert you to it.

And if you did in fact make the mistake of entering all of the income for your W-2’s under only one spouse’s name, you may have made that same mistake on the next year’s tax return if you transferred all your data over from the past year to the next. Check to see—before you get another IRS letter.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/credits-and-deductions/help/can-i-get-a-refund-for-excess-social-security-tax-withheld/00/25710

Re: Error in Return

VolvoGirl — Mon, 01 May 2023 18:26:05 GMT

And you need to check imported forms carefully. They can import wrong.

Re: Error in Return

chip1225 — Mon, 01 May 2023 18:52:18 GMT

Thank you. I followed the prompts by uploading my W-2 under my name and my wife's under hers married filing jointly), and never received any on screen questions indicating a mistake. I never thought to question whether the W-2s were entered under one name only...

Re: Error in Return

Critter-3 — Mon, 01 May 2023 21:34:36 GMT

Did the IRS send a letter of explanation of what they changed ?