Why did my federal refund drop suddenly when I started my state filing information? It dropped nearly $400 after confirming a higher amount on the previous page.

[YayTaxesJK]

I had just wrapped up my federal information, TT displayed my federal refund, then when I selected the option to start my state filing, it dropped significantly.  I hadn't entered any state information yet.  I just started it.

[Mike9241]

you may have been looking at a summary of taxes (both fed and state)  once you started the state the refund would change as you enter state info. 

[YayTaxesJK]

This wasn't the case. As stated above, my federal refund number was provided to me at the end of that step. When transitioning to the state but before entering any data, the federal refund decreased substantially. 

[brad-milton]

I am seeing the same thing and with no or a poor explanation this makes me doubt that Intuit's Turbo Tax is still the software for me.  this is just one of a few anomalies I have seen this year. 

[elsturm86]

Yes, I am seeing the same thing too.  Very frustrating and I don't understand what happened.

[fanfare]

for the refund meter to work, all changes must be funneled up to it.

That's a programming thing.

It ain't easy and then you have to wait for something else to funnel up there to get an updated number.

aka sloppy programming.

[slundorff]

Nope.  My federal was all complete, done with the final review, refund shown.  Then, suddenly, the refund total dropped $600 with now explanation or with me having any more info input.  Talk about destroying trust and credibility in the product.

[slundorff]

Same.  $600 drop in federal refund after completing everything and moving on to state.  How can I have confidence in the product?

[MarilynG1]

The Federal Refund Meter in the TurboTax header is a rough estimate of how your taxes change as you make entries into your return.  There are many calculations that factor into the result you see.  Until you actually complete the final review and are ready to e-file, you won't know your refund situation.

Always review your final tax return and forms before filing, and be sure to keep a PDF copy of your return handy. 

@slundorff