Erroneous store refunds

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
February 15, 2026
1 reply
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Hello. I am reposting this question.

My question is whether an erroneous store refund is taxable income. In two unrelated instances, I returned merchandise that I had purchased (for personal use, not for a business), and I received a refund for more than I had paid. The first time, I bought something on sale and when I returned it, the store mistakenly refunded me the full price. The second time, my refund was processed twice, so I received double what I should have. Is the extra money I received due to the stores' errors taxable income?

Tax Advice

LindaS5247

Level 14

If you received an erroneous and/or duplicate refund from a store for a personal purchase that you made, it is not considered taxable income and does not need to be reported as income on your taxes.

These refunds bring you back to your original financial condition (plus an error amount), which is not considered to be a taxable gain.

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