Why Is My Tax Refund Less Than What I Expected? - TurboTax Customer Care & Support

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Why Is My Tax Refund Less Than What I Expected?

Updated: 2/20/2008

Article ID: 2981

There are a number of reasons why a taxpayer's refund can be reduced (or claimed) by the IRS including:

Additional tax liability found in current year tax return
Past due child support payments were collected
Debt owed to another federal agency was collected
Past due state income tax was collected

If the tax refund amount you received is different than what you were expecting, you will receive a letter from the IRS that explains why your refund amount was changed. It may take one to two months after you filed your income tax return to receive formal notification from the IRS regarding your tax refund.

If you feel that the IRS was wrong to reduce your tax refund, you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. TurboTax Support does not have information about why your refund amount might be different, or about any tax refund disputes you may have with the IRS. You must contact the IRS directly for a resolution.

For more information about tax refunds, see Tax Topic 152 - Refund Information on the IRS' web site.

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