Is it normal to get only $65 tax refund as a single filer?

The refund amount by itself doesn't tell you much about whether your taxes were done correctly. A smaller refund often just means your withholding throughout the year was more accurate - which is actually a good thing! It means you weren't giving the government an interest-free loan. When you earn more money, your withholding adjusts automatically. The big question is whether your total tax liability makes sense for your income level. Did you look at how much total tax you paid this year compared to last year? With a $6k income increase, you might have moved into a higher tax bracket for part of your income, plus your withholding was likely more accurate. Also, did you have any life changes like different deductions, credits, or withholding allowances compared to last year? Instead of focusing on the refund amount, check your effective tax rate (total tax paid divided by total income) to see if it's reasonable. For $32k income as a single filer, you should be paying around 10-12% in federal taxes after standard deduction.

I had a similar situation last year that confused the heck out of me. After trying to figure it out for hours, I used this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that analyzes your tax documents and explains what's going on in plain English. Seriously saved me so much headache. It showed me that my withholding had been adjusted after a raise, which is why my refund was tiny compared to previous years. Nothing was wrong - it was actually a good thing! My money had been in my pocket all year instead of with the IRS. The tool also found a deduction I'd missed that bumped my refund up by $120. Worth checking out if you're concerned about your situation.

I was super skeptical about taxr.ai when I saw it mentioned here, but I was desperate after getting a tiny refund when I expected much more. Their analysis immediately showed that my employer had actually updated my W-4 withholding after the tax law changes, which is why my paychecks were bigger but my refund was smaller. The tool also found that I'd missed claiming some education expenses from a professional certification course I took. Adding that bumped my refund from $47 to nearly $300! The best part was understanding WHY my refund was different rather than just accepting a random number. Definitely recommend checking it out if you're confused about your refund changing drastically from year to year.

If you're determined to get answers directly from the IRS about your refund situation, good luck reaching them by phone. I spent WEEKS trying to get through last year. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) - they have this system that gets you to the front of the IRS phone queue. You can see exactly how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent explained that my smaller refund was completely normal because my withholding had been more accurate throughout the year. They confirmed nothing was wrong with my return and saved me from paying a tax pro unnecessarily. Honestly changed how I deal with tax questions now - sometimes you just need to hear it directly from the IRS.

I was SUPER skeptical about Claimyr (check my comment above), but after being on hold with the IRS for 3+ hours and getting disconnected TWICE, I was desperate enough to try anything. I hate to admit I was wrong, but... it actually worked exactly as advertised. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent reviewed my account and confirmed what others here said - my withholding was more accurate this year, which meant smaller refund but more money in my paychecks throughout the year. She also helped me adjust my W-4 for next year since I'm getting a significant raise. Can't believe I'm saying this, but it was worth every penny not to waste another day on hold.

A smaller refund isn't necessarily bad! I purposely try to keep my refund small. Think about it - would you voluntarily give your friend $800 for a year with zero interest, just so they could give it back to you later? That's what a big refund means you're doing with the government. Check your paystubs from this year vs. last year. I bet you'll find you were bringing home more money each paycheck. The $6k salary increase probably meant better withholding calculations. If you're using the standard deduction (which most people do), there's literally nothing a tax pro can do to magically increase your refund that you can't do yourself with tax software. Save your money!

Anyone else feel like tax software is designed to make us think we're getting less so we'll upgrade to their paid versions? Every time I use the free version it shows a tiny refund, then magically finds more money when I upgrade. Seems suspicious.

Your situation is totally normal! I went through the exact same thing two years ago and panicked thinking I'd made a mistake. Turns out my withholding just got more accurate when I started a new job. Here's what probably happened: when you started your new jobs, HR likely had you fill out a W-4 form. The newer W-4 calculations are much more precise than the old system, so instead of over-withholding (which gives you a big refund), they're taking out closer to what you actually owe. Quick math check: if you made $6k more but only got $785 less in refund ($850 - $65), you probably had about $5,215 more in your actual paychecks throughout the year. That's money you got to use all year instead of lending it to the government interest-free! Before paying someone to look at your taxes, just double-check that you entered everything correctly in TurboTax - both W-2s, any 1099s, and that you claimed the standard deduction. If everything looks right, you're golden. Your withholding is just working the way it's supposed to now.