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]

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. :shrug:

 

[getbent]

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]

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. :shrug:

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

 

[MMDad]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[SoMDGirl42]

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.

You got that right. 5 years ago I decided to have H&R block do my taxes to save me the headache. I had to walk the person through the entire thing. I finally had to scoot the chair over behind the desk and sit right next to him. I should have just taken over the keyboard and done it myself, it was a nightmare. And they charged me $400. Never again.

 

[MMDad]

You got that right. 5 years ago I decided to have H&R block do my taxes to save me the headache. I had to walk the person through the entire thing. I finally had to scoot the chair over behind the desk and sit right next to him. I should have just taken over the keyboard and done it myself, it was a nightmare. And they charged me $400. Never again.

You agreed with me? Did that hurt?

 

[getbent]

You got that right. 5 years ago I decided to have H&R block do my taxes to save me the headache. I had to walk the person through the entire thing. I finally had to scoot the chair over behind the desk and sit right next to him. I should have just taken over the keyboard and done it myself, it was a nightmare. And they charged me $400. Never again.

OMG! $400? That's crazy. Sometimes I get the feeling I'm doing something wrong when I use Turbo Tax. Our stuff is pretty simple, 2 W-2's, statement from the mortgage co., my student loan form, 2 kids. Maybe I'm just insecure or not confident in my ability.

 

[SoMDGirl42]

You agreed with me? Did that hurt?

a little

 

[GURPS]

turbo tax has an iPad version, you can work up all the details for FREE. you do not pay, until you want to file

 

[sockgirl77]

You got that right. 5 years ago I decided to have H&R block do my taxes to save me the headache. I had to walk the person through the entire thing. I finally had to scoot the chair over behind the desk and sit right next to him. I should have just taken over the keyboard and done it myself, it was a nightmare. And they charged me $400. Never again.

You must have gotten their rapid refund prepaid card.

 

[blazinlow89]

I used H&R block online. I also checked it against turbo tax. Seeing as H&R offers free audit support I chose them. I did go to Liberty to see if I missed anything as this was the first year with the house. I was able to use the free version to file. Also rather than paying to have my state filed for me I went to the marylandtaxes.com site and filed for free. Took about a week for both returns to show up with no issue.