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New Member
posted Jun 7, 2019 5:21:40 PM

My State tax refund was less than I expected. Can you tell me why?

0 13 18503
13 Replies
Level 15
Jun 7, 2019 5:21:41 PM


There can be a number of reasons why your refund was less than the amount you expected. TurboTax does not receive feedback from the IRS regarding money that was offset from your refund.  If you owed back taxes, child support, student loan debt, etc. you will receive a letter of explanation from the IRS in several weeks.  The WMR site will contain a message regarding your offset.  It is also possible that the IRS caught a mistake you made and reduced your refund. 

 It is also possible that your state reduced your refund for debts owed in your state—if the state reduced your state refund you will receive a letter from the state.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-refund-offsets-pay-unpaid-debts

 IRS Treasury Offset Program Call Center at 1-800-304-3107

Be aware also that your Federal refund and state refund do NOT come together.  Federal and state tax returns are processed by two completely separate entities.

Did you choose to have TT fees deducted from your Federal refund?  (Remember that if you did that, you also agreed to an extra refund processing fee of $39.99)

How can I see my TurboTax  fees?   

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2565973-how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online

 https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-refund-offsets-pay-unpaid-debts

 


New Member
Feb 15, 2020 5:06:49 AM

I was expecting$1005.00 on my return but got $602.00 instead. What happened to the rest?

Expert Alumni
Feb 15, 2020 12:16:19 PM

You may have received a lower refund than expected because your refund was applied to a past due debt. Some examples of past due debt include federal or state income taxes, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, or federal nontax debt such as student loans. Generally you will receive a notice explaining why your refund was reduced. You may want to contact your state department of revenue to determine what happened to your refund. 

 

Please see this TurboTax Article to get contact information for your state. 

New Member
Feb 26, 2020 8:00:18 AM

that also happened to me, and when I call the offset number, it states there are not offsets to my account. So where is my money!

Expert Alumni
Feb 26, 2020 8:30:42 AM

Did you call the federal offset program or your state's department of revenue (see the link above)?

 

Only the state department of revenue for your state can answer questions about the state's refund.

New Member
Apr 4, 2020 9:21:23 AM

Why is my state refund less than expected?

New Member
Apr 4, 2020 9:25:38 AM

Those were supposed to be taken into consideration by TT

I don't owe any of the items you mentioned 

 

Expert Alumni
Apr 4, 2020 11:59:40 AM

Your state should send you a letter letting you know the changes they made to your return, if any, or any fees that they charged to your account. 

 

If you do not receive the letter from the state in a reasonable amount of time, I would call the state Department of Revenue and ask them about the changes they made. I would have a copy of the filed state return handy at that time. 

 

@Airplane007

New Member
Feb 28, 2022 1:58:48 PM

My star refund was less 

New Member
Feb 28, 2022 2:00:58 PM

My star refund was less than what my tax preparer told me

Level 15
Feb 28, 2022 2:04:26 PM


@Cestelah wrote:

My star refund was less than what my tax preparer told me


Once a tax return has been Accepted by the IRS or a State, TurboTax receives no further information concerning the tax return or the status of any tax refund

 

Your state will be sending you a letter in the mail in a few weeks to explain what they changed on your state tax return to reduce your state tax refund.

Returning Member
Mar 19, 2022 8:49:38 PM

my state was reduced and they said the line item for my child who lives with me full time was not recorded with a carry over the previous year; however i checked my last year return and on this years info i had the carry over; how would i appeal this? 

Intuit Alumni
Mar 20, 2022 7:04:04 AM

In this public forum, we cannot diagnose why your refund has been reduced.  For additional information, please see this Help Article or this TurboTax blog post.