Difference between 1040A vs 1040EZ - do they impact my refund amount?

I'm confused about the difference between 1040A and 1040EZ forms and whether they affect how much money I owe or get back from my tax return. I'm asking because I've been using an accountant for my taxes. I had the same job for both 2023 and 2024. The only difference is that in 2023, I started working in June after finishing college. I'm single for both years. But the refund amounts I received were drastically different between the two years. There doesn't seem to be any major change in my situation that would explain this. The only differences I can think of are that in 2024 I enrolled in my company's 401k plan, and the tax preparer used different forms to file my returns. Could someone explain if using 1040A vs 1040EZ would cause such a big difference in my refund? I'd appreciate a second opinion on this.

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18 comments

Hazel Garcia

•8M

The forms themselves (1040A vs 1040EZ) don't directly change how much tax you owe or get refunded - they're just different ways to report your tax situation. However, it's important to note that these forms were actually eliminated after the 2017 tax reform, and now everyone uses the redesigned Form 1040. That said, the refund difference you're experiencing is probably due to other factors. Your 401k contributions in 2024 would reduce your taxable income, potentially increasing your refund. Also, working a partial year in 2023 versus a full year in 2024 could significantly impact your tax situation - especially if your income pushed you into different tax brackets. Another possibility is that your withholding amounts were different between the two years. Even with the same salary, if your employer withheld taxes differently, that would affect your refund amount.

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Hazel Garcia

•8M

The larger refund in your partial-year work actually makes sense. When you work only part of the year, your withholding is often calculated as though you'll make that same amount for the entire year, which can lead to overwithholding. So if you started in June 2023, your employer might have withheld taxes at a higher rate than your actual annual income justified. Yes, it's definitely possible there could be an error on one of your returns. You can request a tax transcript from the IRS website (it's free) to review what was reported. You could also ask your tax preparer to explain the specific differences between your two returns. If you find a significant error, you can file an amended return using Form 1040X within three years of the original filing date.

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Laila Fury

•8M

I ran into something similar last year with big refund differences between years. After tons of frustration trying to figure it out myself, I ended up using https://taxr.ai to analyze my previous returns. I uploaded both years' worth of tax documents and it showed me exactly what changed between them. In my case, turns out my withholding had changed dramatically, not the forms. The system breaks down your returns line-by-line and explains what each change means in straightforward language. Made me feel a lot better knowing exactly what caused the difference instead of wondering if I'd been getting ripped off.

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Laila Fury

•8M

It really does explain everything in plain English - that's what made it worth it for me. It translates tax code stuff like "adjusted gross income decreased by $X" to "you earned less this year" or explains how your deductions changed and why that matters. For security, they use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. I was nervous about that too, but their privacy policy was solid, and they explain that they only access your documents for the immediate analysis. Looking at returns side-by-side is great if you understand tax code, but I was missing things. And my accountant just kept saying "different years, different results" without a proper breakdown. What I liked was getting a neutral third-party confirmation without having to become a tax expert myself.

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Simon White

•8M

I was super skeptical about taxr.ai when I first saw it mentioned here, but I finally tried it with my returns from the last two years where I had a similar issue with different refund amounts. HOLY CRAP, it actually worked! The analysis pointed out that my employer had overwithholded in 2023 but fixed it in 2024, which explained everything. The coolest part was that it showed me I qualified for an education credit I missed in both years! I'm filing an amended return now to claim it. Wish I'd known about this service sooner instead of spending weeks trying to figure this out on my own.

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Hugo Kass

•8M

If you're having trouble getting answers about tax form differences and refund discrepancies, you might want to go straight to the source. I spent literally WEEKS trying to call the IRS last year about a similar issue and couldn't get through. Then I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under an hour! There's a demo video here if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with explained exactly why my refunds were different between years and confirmed that both my returns were processed correctly. In my case, it was because of changes in tax withholding tables plus my 401k contributions creating a bigger difference than I expected. Worth every penny to get a definitive answer directly from the IRS instead of guessing.

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Hugo Kass

•8M

They don't have a special line - they use a combination of technology that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an agent finally picks up, you get a call connecting you to that agent. I totally get the skepticism! I felt the same way until I tried it. The service basically does the waiting for you, which is why it works. The IRS actually does answer calls... eventually. Most people just can't afford to stay on hold for 3+ hours, which is what Claimyr eliminates.

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Khalil Urso

•8M

I have to publicly eat my words here. After posting my skeptical comment earlier, I was so annoyed by this whole topic that I decided to try Claimyr just to prove it wouldn't work. Well, I was completely wrong. Got a call back within about 45 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. She pulled up my returns from 2022 and 2023 (which had a $1,200 refund difference), and walked through exactly why they were different. Turns out I had a math error on one schedule that they'd corrected, plus different withholding amounts. Never been happier to be proven wrong. Saved me from filing an amended return that wouldn't have changed anything.

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Myles Regis

•8M

Has anyone considered that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly changed tax brackets, deductions, and credits between 2017 and 2018? I know OP is talking about 2023-2024, but if your tax preparer is using outdated forms like 1040EZ (which doesn't exist anymore), they might not be the most reliable. Different withholding tables + partial year work + 401k contributions can absolutely cause dramatically different refunds. Remember a refund just means you overpaid throughout the year - it's not free money!

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Myles Regis

•8M

I'd be concerned if your preparer is actually referring to these outdated forms, as they haven't been used since 2017. They might be using simplified language to describe your tax situation, but it's a red flag if they're literally talking about filing these forms recently. For finding a good preparer, I recommend looking for an Enrolled Agent (EA) or CPA who specializes in individual taxes. Ask friends for recommendations, check Google reviews, and interview potential preparers before hiring. Ask questions like: How long have you been preparing taxes? What continuing education do you complete? How do you stay current with tax law changes? A good preparer should be able to clearly explain why your refunds differed and shouldn't mind questions.

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