Why is the amount of my tax refund the exact amount of the taxes that I paid?

[katiejean0403]

When I went through the process the review of my federal tax indicated that the amount of my refund was the exact same amount as the taxes I paid.

[KeshaH]

Generally this happens because you either 1) had deductions that reduced your taxable income down to zero or 2) qualified for credits that reduced your tax liability to zero. In both scenarios, you would get a refund of the tax that you paid.