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where does tax refund money come from?

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fader

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im not looking to get a big return or anything like that I am just curious, where do they get the money to pay out people from? would like someone to explain in layman terms
 
im not looking to get a big return or anything like that I am just curious, where do they get the money to pay out people from? would like someone to explain in layman terms

Where does the extra money you gave them during the year go? They just take it out from that place.

Maybe a basic account or maybe they invest in some bonds or something.
 
im not looking to get a big return or anything like that I am just curious, where do they get the money to pay out people from? would like someone to explain in layman terms

From you. A refund is exactly that.. "You paid use too much money during the year, have it back.. thanks for the free loan"
 
Ugh I have to pay $950 this year. After I saw that I just closed my browser, I'll deal with it later.
 
They get it from the taxes you already paid. Think of it as change you get when breaking a 50 dollar bill.

oh i see... so its basically like they take money from you and at the end of the year they give back the money they didnt spend to us?

Ugh I have to pay $950 this year. After I saw that I just closed my browser, I'll deal with it later.

and thats another thing im curious on, why do some people have to pay if they are giving money back?
 
oh i see... so its basically like they take money from you and at the end of the year they give back the money they didnt spend to us?



and thats another thing im curious on, why do some people have to pay if they are giving money back?

Imagine you have to pay $1000 in tax per year.

Some people pay $100 once a month. At the end of the year they have overpaid $200 and they get that back.

Some people pay $50 once a month. At the end of the year they have underpaid by $400 and they have to pay that to the government.
 
....so whats the point of taking it from us?

Because it is nearly impossible to calculate exactly how much tax you have to pay based on your income, tax deductable spending, etc while it's happening. So you do it after the year ends. If the IRS deems you paid too much, you get the remaining back. If they deemed you didn't pay enough, you have to pay it.
 
Imagine you have to pay $1000 in tax per year.

Some people pay $100 once a month. At the end of the year they have overpaid $200 and they get that back.

Some people pay $50 once a month. At the end of the year they have underpaid by $400 and they have to pay that to the government.

mhm.... so is the amount we have to pay based on our income?
 
In laymans terms, you have taxes taken out every paycheck and then every year, you do a tax return to show what you "should" owe, and you get a refund if the amount of taxes taken out of your check is greater than what you owe. Its possible to actually OWE money to the government at tax time (not enough taxes taken out of your paycheck through out the year)
 
....so whats the point of taking it from us?

man a tax accountant can explain it so much better and i'm not american but from my experience just as a guy who pays taxes...

-you did your taxes wrong
-payroll - start a job halfway into the year at $20 / hour. your income taxes would be subtracted based on the annual taxation rate... but annually you don't have enough to make it to the next tax bracket so you get a lot back
-deductions - those you put in at the end of the year. so they've been taxing you at x% rate but your deductions allow you to be taxed at less than x% rate so you get more back

most people work jobs and they take it from you at payroll. i don't know why but that's the way it works
 
man a tax accountant can explain it so much better and i'm not american but from my experience just as a guy who pays taxes...

-you did your taxes wrong
-payroll - start a job halfway into the year at $20 / hour. your income taxes would be subtracted based on the annual taxation rate... but annually you don't have enough to make it to the next tax bracket so you get a lot back
-deductions - those you put in at the end of the year. so they've been taxing you at x% rate but your deductions allow you to be taxed at less than x% rate so you get more back

most people work jobs and they take it from you at payroll. i don't know why but that's the way it works

I think this thread is a few levels of complexity below what you are talking about.
 
My understanding is this:

- During the year, depending on your positioning in last year's Reaping, a certain amount of money is taken from your cheque and/or parents during the year.

- That money is split between President Obama and the Federal Reserve -- they spend it on everything from important business, to roads, to the chef who works at the White House, to the NSA spying program. It is also used to print more money so that we don't run out.

- If this all goes well, there will be some left over. Normally it winds up being just a bit, but sometimes it can be as much as $100,000. This amount is called the "Tax Rebate Fund for U.S. Americans."

- The current year's Reaping is held. Your average position in last year's Reaping and the current year's Reaping determines how much money you get back. Also, if anything bad happened to you during the year -- e.g,. you got fired, your kids got very sick -- you can get a bit extra if you report it to the President before the Reaping.
 
How many tax returns have you filed in the last 6 years?

If they were in a 6 year college, the parent's can still claim them as a dependant as long as they are under 24 and a full time student

edit: Also, the need to claim same residency as parents, and their part time job (if any) only provides less than 1/2 of their own support
 
How many tax returns have you filed in the last 6 years?

4 including this year but i went to some corner tax office to do it for me and they never explain this crap to me. they were more interested in how much im getting. plus i never really cared until now when i filled myself with turbo tax.
 
man a tax accountant can explain it so much better and i'm not american but from my experience just as a guy who pays taxes...

-you did your taxes wrong
-payroll - start a job halfway into the year at $20 / hour. your income taxes would be subtracted based on the annual taxation rate... but annually you don't have enough to make it to the next tax bracket so you get a lot back
-deductions - those you put in at the end of the year. so they've been taxing you at x% rate but your deductions allow you to be taxed at less than x% rate so you get more back

most people work jobs and they take it from you at payroll. i don't know why but that's the way it works

Because that's easier to account for in a budget than owing some number of thousands of dollars once a year.
 
4 including this year but i went to some corner tax office to do it for me and they never explain this crap to me. they were more interested in how much im getting. plus i never really cared until now when i filled myself with turbo tax.

Whew, for a second there I was guessing 1. No need to turn yourself into the IRS yet.
 
- That money is split between President Obama and the Federal Reserve

The federal reserve is not, despite the name, a savings account where our taxes go to build up for a rainy day. It's just a central bank that regulates the currency to keep inflation in check and promote economic growth.
 
My roommate says he hasn't paid taxes the last couple years and no one ever contacts him about it. And he would have had to pay around $750. Does the IRS just not even bother with that?
 
The annoying thing is the rich can fandangle their taxes to around 15% (like Obama), but yet the middle class are paying 40-50% if they don't own a home, have dependents etc. And God help you if you live in an expensive area (NYC, LA, California in general)

America.
 
The federal reserve is not, despite the name, a savings account where our taxes go to build up for a rainy day. It's just a central bank that regulates the currency to keep inflation in check and promote economic growth.

OK, but President Obama is where the other half goes, right?

(How... could ... you think I was serious?)
 
The annoying thing is the rich can fandangle their taxes to around 15% (like Obama), but yet the middle class are paying 40-50% if they don't own a home, have dependents etc. And God help you if you live in an expensive area (NYC, LA, California in general)

America.

thats one thing that bothered me about america's tax economy (or whatever you wanna call it). the rich is protected while the middle class has to dump their wallets. thats soooo ass backwards
 
My roommate says he hasn't paid taxes the last couple years and no one ever contacts him about it. And he would have had to pay around $750. Does the IRS just not even bother with that?

If they find out, he might literally get his door knocked down. They don't play games when you owe money.
 
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