If i made almost 21,000 this year why would i only get 12 dollars back? i paid a good amount to the government why do they need more?

[Marketstar]

Assuming you prepared your return accurately, your tax withholding only exceeded your tax liability by $12.

This means you had larger net paychecks during the year than you would have if you under withheld resulting in a larger refund.

If you have not e-filed yet, consider reviewing your data entries, looking for errors such as misplaced decimals or extra zeros.

If you are still not satisfied with your result, change your W-4 federal withholding.

See How Do I Change My Future Paycheck Withholdings?