You have not mentioned your filing status or whether you have any dependents. But if you are single and made $26,000, you have over $12,000 of taxable income. Why do you think you should get all of the tax withheld back? Your standard deduction---the amount of your income that is "tax free" is $13,850. The amount of income you received that you still must pay federal tax on is $12,150. Sorry----you do not get the whole $1200 back.