Single mother, one child age four, estimated $2854.00 back sound right?

Question

I am a 26 year old single female with a 4 year old child. I did a tax calculator, I put Head of Household, and claimed 1 dependant. I did not have any federal tax held out of paychecks and only made 12,000 in wages. I put daycare expense, 401K, and state taxes on deductions. It says I will get back $2854.00. I have not idea if this sounds right. It seems like single mothers usually get more than that.??? Can someone let me know if this sounds correct.

Answer 1

Without more information it is hard to say if that amount is correct. The IRS, in conjunction with AARP, offers a free tax service called VITA for seniors and folks with low incomes. The service is free and you don't have to be a member to take advantage of the service. Check the AARP web-site or www.irs.gov to find a site near you.

Answer 2

I honestly don't know much about taxes, but I have a child as well. It seems like every single year, we get an estimate... we estimate ourselves (we file independently) and then we get an estimate from H&R and when we finally DO get our taxes back, it's always much less than both estimates. So all I want to say is: don't depend on any estimate you get. Just wait until the check is in your hands before you start spending it in your head. To be completely honest, $2,854 sounds much too high if you made $12,000 in wages, but I could be wrong.

Sorry I'm not much help with the question, I just want you to have a heads-up.

Answer 3

Nope. You're a little off

I have built a superquick tax calculator.

It's more like $2892. You forgot your Federal Telephone Tax Refund. It's $40 for you!

EIC = 2747 Additional Child Tax Credit = 105 Tel Tax = 40

Answer 4

With $12,000 and 1 child, your EIC should be $1266. With no Fereral withholding, you would need an additaional $1588 in refundable credits to receive a $2854 'refund'. Something sound wrong to me.