Tax refund after extension

[Wildflower698]

Hi I filed for an extension in 2021 and prepaid my taxes. I have since finished filing my taxes and realized that I overpaid federal taxes. How do I get a refund?

[NateTheGrEAt]

Hi @Wildflower698 - welcome to our event! That's a great question.

When you make a prepayment of taxes at the time you file your extension, this payment should appear on your tax return as an additional payment towards your tax balance. 

For a 2021 tax return, the amount would show up on Schedule 3, Line 10 and from there would be carried to Form 1040, Line 31. Make sure the amount you paid with extension shows up in those two places before you file your tax return.  Since you said that the amount you paid was more than needed, once the amount appears there correctly, this would result in your tax return showing a refund instead of a balance due. So by filing the tax return, you claim that refund. 

I hope this helps! Have a great day. 

[Wildflower698]

Thank you! What if you did not put that prepayment info in those two fields (schedule 3, line 10 and form 1040, line 31)?

Is there a way to reference a prepayment and ask for a return?

[NateTheGrEAt]

If you already filed and did not include the prepayment, it's possible the IRS will figure out the overpayment and send it back to you automatically. It depends on how much time has elapsed since you filed the tax return - I would give it a few weeks after your return is processed. 

At that point, if you have not received the money back and your return is fully processed, I would write to the IRS Service Center for your state and request that the funds be returned to you.