Online Tax Estimators-- Are they accurate?

Question

It showed no difference when I put in my tuition deduction and when I didn't. It still showed that I owed the same amount.

Answer 1

It depends on the estimator. I've just come off the phone with my dad in the UK and he had me look at one which he thought was great. I ran a few dummy calculations and spotted numerous errors.

As for your situation, if your income is too high, you do not qualify for the deduction and if it is low enough so that you pay no tax anyway, you get no extra refund. Do you have zero tax liability if you leave it out (ie, do you get all your withholdings refunded)?