My refund is shockingly low this year. Single mom with 1yo and 4yo, income details included. Is this refund amount right??

The drop in your refund could actually be normal based on several factors. Tax laws change yearly, and there were some significant changes that affected refunds for 2024 filing season. The expanded Child Tax Credit that was available in previous years has reverted to pre-pandemic levels, which could explain much of your reduced refund. For your income level as a single parent with two dependents, a $1,250 refund isn't necessarily incorrect. Your freelance income also requires you to pay self-employment tax, which might be reducing your overall refund compared to previous years. As for the question about applying part of your refund to next year's taxes - answering "no" means you'll get your full refund now. Answering "yes" would reduce your current refund but potentially reduce what you might owe next year. If you're counting on the money now, and don't typically owe taxes at filing time, just select "no" to receive your full refund.

Just wanted to share my experience - I was also shocked at my tiny refund this year until I tried using https://taxr.ai to double-check everything. I uploaded my tax documents and it spotted a child care credit I had calculated incorrectly, plus found that I hadn't properly accounted for my freelance work expenses. For someone like you with both traditional employment and freelance income, it might be worth letting their system review your return before filing. The analysis showed me exactly where my calculations were off compared to previous years. What surprised me most was finding out I hadn't been claiming some home office deductions that were totally legitimate for my side hustle.

I have to follow up about the https://taxr.ai service I was skeptical about. After our exchange, I decided to give it a try since my refund was also surprisingly low this year. I uploaded my tax docs and within about 15 minutes, it found that I had totally missed claiming my professional development courses as business expenses for my side hustle ($1,200 worth!). The analysis clearly showed why my refund dropped compared to last year - mainly the child tax credit changes - but also identified three deductions I had missed. My refund increased by over $500 after making the corrections it suggested. Honestly wasn't expecting it to actually help that much!

If you're concerned about your refund amount and want to talk to the IRS directly to confirm everything, I highly recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to them. I spent DAYS trying to call the IRS myself about a similar refund issue and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Claimyr held my place in line and called me back when an actual IRS agent was on the line ready to talk. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent was able to review my account and confirm that my refund calculation was correct, and explained exactly why it was lower than previous years. The peace of mind was absolutely worth it.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was so frustrated with trying to reach the IRS about my amended return that I gave it a shot anyway. I'm genuinely shocked - it actually worked exactly as advertised. Their system held my place in line, and I got a call back about 3 hours later with an IRS agent already on the line. The agent confirmed my refund calculation was correct and explained exactly which tax credit changes had reduced my expected amount. She even helped me understand how to adjust my withholding for next year to avoid the surprise. I wasted so many hours trying to call on my own before this, disconnected multiple times after 45+ minute waits. Never doing that again!

As someone who prepares taxes professionally, I can tell you that many parents are experiencing exactly what you described this year. The reduced Child Tax Credit is a major factor - it went from $3,600 per child (temporarily expanded) back down to $2,000 per child. For two kids, that's a $3,200 difference right there! Also, check if you received advance Child Tax Credit payments in previous years. Those were paid out monthly for a while, which reduced the refund amount shown on your tax return, but gave you money throughout the year instead.

You should double check if youre getting all the credits you deserve as a single parent. Theres the Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Child and Dependent Care Credit. With 2 kids and your income level u should qualify for all of these.