St. of MD refund

[getbent]

If you're unsure your refund should be the amount the state says it is, can you take your paperwork to someone like H&R Block and have them check it without charging you? Others have said our refund is way low compared to what others have gotten back (we own a home, 2 kids, education credit, they have no kids and a house). Thanks for any info.

[lovinmaryland]

Unfortunately they will charge you to do that. Where did you initially have your taxes done? My suggestion would be to make up a mock account on Turbo Tax & H&R blocks websites to see what they estimate you should have received back.

[migtig]

Are you married and the other folks single? Marriage penalty...

[SoMDGirl42]

Originally Posted by getbent

If you're unsure your refund should be the amount the state says it is, can you take your paperwork to someone like H&R Block and have them check it without charging you? Others have said our refund is way low compared to what others have gotten back (we own a home, 2 kids, education credit, they have no kids and a house). Thanks for any info.

I would think the biggest factor in this is your total combined income and what tax bracket you fall into. They might make less than you and fall into a smaller tax bracket, and pay more toward their mortgage interest than you and your wife. No one will ever pay exactly the same amount of taxes even with the exact same annual income.

How many exemptions do you claim? How many do your friends claim. How much pre-tax comes out for 401K, insurance, cafeteria plans etc.

You can't compare apples and oranges. If you think you've made an error on your taxes, you many want to have someone else take a look, even if they charge for a second look.

[getbent]

Originally Posted by lovinmaryland

Unfortunately they will charge you to do that. Where did you initially have your taxes done? My suggestion would be to make up a mock account on Turbo Tax & H&R blocks websites to see what they estimate you should have received back.

We use Turbo Tax.

[getbent]

Originally Posted by SoMDGirl42

I would think the biggest factor in this is your total combined income and what tax bracket you fall into. They might make less than you and fall into a smaller tax bracket, and pay more toward their mortgage interest than you and your wife. No one will ever pay exactly the same amount of taxes even with the exact same annual income.

How many exemptions do you claim? How many do your friends claim. How much pre-tax comes out for 401K, insurance, cafeteria plans etc.

You can't compare apples and oranges. If you think you've made an error on your taxes, you many want to have someone else take a look, even if they charge for a second look.

I'm sure my hubby didn't get into how much they make vs. us. Contributing to 401K reduces your taxable income right?

[MMDad]

Originally Posted by getbent

If you're unsure your refund should be the amount the state says it is, can you take your paperwork to someone like H&R Block and have them check it without charging you? Others have said our refund is way low compared to what others have gotten back (we own a home, 2 kids, education credit, they have no kids and a house). Thanks for any info.

The amount you get in your refund compared to others is irrelevant. If they have more witheld than you do, of course they will get more back.

The numbers you would need to compare are the taxable income and the tax paid. If you make about the same but pay a lot more tax, there might be a mistake somewhere.

Getting a smaller refund means you were able to keep more of your money throughout the year and did not give the government an interest free loan. It is what we all should do, but many don't.

[lovinmaryland]

Originally Posted by getbent

We use Turbo Tax.

So just make a fake acct w/ H&R block import the identical info you did on turbo tax and see what they say you should receive.

[MMDad]

Originally Posted by getbent

H&R Block

The people who do the taxes at H&R Block are not tax experts. It is usually a seasonal job for them. They just use a program similar to Turbo Tax.

If you want someone who actually knows taxes to look at it, you'll have to pay a CPA.

[getbent]

Originally Posted by MMDad

The amount you get in your refund compared to others is irrelevant. If they have more witheld than you do, of course they will get more back.

The numbers you would need to compare are the taxable income and the tax paid. If you make about the same but pay a lot more tax, there might be a mistake somewhere.

Getting a smaller refund means you were able to keep more of your money throughout the year and did not give the government an interest free loan. It is what we all should do, but many don't.

Thanks a lot. That makes sense.