More federal taxes owed??

[mhale2]

Hoping a tax expert can explain--Taxable income is less than $1000 more in 2021 than 2020, but federal taxes owed is over $4000 more. Everything else is basically the same for the two years. Any explanation? 

[KrisD15]

Look at your 1040 line 15, that is your taxable income.

Look at your 1040 line 16, that is your tax. 

How do these numbers look compared to last year? 

Now look at the additional taxes and any credits that changed. 

Last, look at what you had withheld from your income. 

There are many pieces to the tax return, so it's difficult to narrow it down to just one thing. 

[rjs]

Obviously everything else is not the same. Compare your 2020 Form 1040 and your 2021 Form 1040 line by line and see where there's a significant difference. That will either show you what's different or point you to where to look.