Can someone help explain why my federal is less then the past few years, I can’t figure out why same job etc. Looking for suggestions/help

[xmasbaby0]

We cannot see your screen, your return or your account.  Have you entered ALL of your 2024 information?  All your income, etc.?  Many tax documents that you need do not arrive until late January or even February, so maybe you do not have it all there yet.

There are a lot of variables that affect your refund or tax due including how much you earned, how much tax you had withheld, your filing status, the number of dependents you claim, your deductions and credits, etc.  You may have lost Earned Income Credit or the Child Tax Credit— did a child turn 17?  If you received the EIC last year, remember that changes in the amount you earn have a big effect on the amount of EIC you can get. (Sometimes earning more money means less EIC)  Are you 65 or older ?  If so, your standard deduction is higher. Everyone has a higher standard deduction now so it is harder to use itemized deductions.

And of course, always check your own data entries, looking for errors such as misplaced decimals or extra zeros.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/refund-go-compared-last-year/...

Print out 2023  and 2024  and compare them side by side to see what is different. 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/tax-payments/video-why-would-i-owe-federal-taxes/L3VXudPiN

[Vanessa A]

There could be a few reasons.

Did you have a child that turned 17 in the tax year?  If so, you would have lost the $2,000 Child Tax Credit and Gained the $500 Other Dependent Credit which would decrease your refund by about $1,500 or if you had no tax liability, then you would not get the $500 Other Dependent Credit so that would decrease your refund by $2,000.

Did your income change or your withholdings change or get a new job?  Higher income means more taxes and if you do not have more withheld, you would get less of a refund.

If nothing changed, then you may want to double check your answers to be sure you did not make any type of entry error on your return.  If you did, simply go back and fix it.

You can also compare your last years return to this years return line by line to show you where the difference is coming from.

To see your form 1040 if you are using TurboTax Online follow the instructions below.  If you are using the desktop version simply switch to forms mode. 

  From the left rail menu in TurboTax Online, select Tax Tools (You may have to scroll down on the left rail menu.)

1. Select Tax Tools 
   
2. On the drop-down select Tools 
3. On the pop-up menu titled “Tools Center”, select View Tax Summary 
4. On the left sidebar, select Preview my 1040