Is anyone else shocked they're getting no tax refund this year when they used to get one?

This is pretty common this year, actually. The IRS adjusted the withholding tables again, so even though you kept your W-4 the same, your employer likely withheld less throughout the year. This means you got more in each paycheck but less at tax time. The "0" allowances system is outdated since the 2020 W-4 redesign. The new forms don't use allowances anymore. If you're still working off an old W-4, the way your employer calculates withholding has changed even though your paperwork hasn't. Compare your total federal tax on this year's return with last year's return. If they're similar but your refund disappeared, that confirms you were getting more in your paychecks throughout the year rather than in one lump sum at tax time.

Literally the same thing happened to me! I used to get about $1,300 back every year, and now I'm only getting $47 back. I was confused so I checked out this tax calculator at https://taxr.ai and it actually explained everything. The tool analyzed my withholding and showed that the IRS changed withholding tables again. So basically I was getting more money in each paycheck throughout the year without realizing it. The calculator compared my total annual income, withholding, and tax liability and showed that my overall tax situation didn't actually change - just the timing of when I got my money.

Ok I was genuinely skeptical about taxr.ai but I checked it out after seeing the comment here. It actually explained my situation perfectly! I uploaded my last two years of returns and it showed exactly how the withholding changes affected me - apparently I got about $1,100 more in my paychecks throughout the year without even noticing it. The W-4 calculator was super helpful - showed me exactly what to put on the new form to get approximately a $1,500 refund next year (which is what I prefer for forced savings). Just filed the new form with my employer yesterday. Definitely recommend if you're confused about what happened with your refund.

If you're trying to contact the IRS to ask about this issue, good luck. I spent 3 hours on hold trying to talk to someone last week. Finally gave up and used Claimyr https://claimyr.com to get through. They have this service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is ready. Worked surprisingly well, and there's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was able to talk directly with an IRS agent who confirmed what others are saying - withholding tables changed, so less tax was taken from each paycheck. The agent reviewed my situation and confirmed I hadn't made any filing errors, which was a relief.

I need to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After calling the IRS myself and wasting 2 hours on hold only to get disconnected, I decided to try it out of desperation. It actually worked perfectly. I went about my day, and then got a call saying they had an IRS agent on the line. The agent confirmed everything mentioned in this thread - withholding tables changed so we got more money in our paychecks throughout the year instead of at tax time. She helped me figure out exactly what to put on my new W-4 to get about $1,200 back next year. Was definitely worth it just for my sanity. Never thought I'd be recommending something like this but honestly it works exactly as advertised.

Something similar happened to my sister. She was expecting her usual big refund and got almost nothing. Turns out she had checked a box on her employer's benefits portal that adjusted her withholding without realizing it. Might be worth checking if you made ANY changes to benefits or payroll settings last year.

I noticed a huge difference too! But my income went up about $8,000 this year, so that pushed me into a higher tax bracket. Could that have happened to you? Even a small raise might have changed your tax situation.