Why is my NY State tax return refund amount higher than the actual refund I received last year?

[ToddL99]

There could be several reasons why you are getting a higher NYS refund this year than what you received last year. 

You could have changed (increased) the amount of NY tax withheld in 2020, earned less in 2020 (resulting in a lower tax), or had 2020 deductions/credits that you did not have in 2019.