My full time student daughter (who we claim as a dependent) earned $8700 paid $322 in federal taxes but turbo tax says she will only get a $83 refund.

[annaobie]

In the personal interview on Turbo tax she did answer that someone else can and will claim her as a dependent.  Why does turbo tax calculate that she only gets $83 back?

[Phillip1 · Accepted solution]

Her refund is small because she is being claimed as a dependent.

Dependents only qualify for a 6,300 standard deduction and they do not get an exemption. Therefore your daughter is paying tax on 2,400 dollars (8,700-6,300 = 2,400). The tax rate is 10% or 240 dollars. The refund would be 82 dollars (or 83 depending on rounding differences).

If she claimed herself, she would get the 6,300 dollars standard deduction and a 4,050 dollar exemption. She would not have any tax, and would get the entire 322 dollars of withheld tax as a refund.