[Question] Single with no dependents earning 60k-75k annually - what's your average tax refund amount?

Your refund amount really depends on several factors beyond just your income bracket. As a single filer with no dependents making 60-75k, the key factor is how accurately your withholding matches your actual tax liability. If your W-4 is filled out correctly and your withholding is accurate, you shouldn't actually be getting a large refund - that just means you've been giving the government an interest-free loan all year. A "perfect" withholding would result in owing nothing and getting nothing back. That said, many people in your bracket might see refunds anywhere from $500-$2,500 depending on several factors. The things that really impact your refund at this income level include: whether you have any additional income sources beyond your W-2 job, if you contribute to pre-tax retirement accounts like 401(k) or traditional IRAs, if you itemize deductions or take the standard deduction, and if you qualify for any tax credits.

I've been in this exact situation for years and was always frustrated trying to figure out if my refunds were normal. Last tax season I tried using https://taxr.ai to analyze my past returns and my withholding patterns. It showed me I was consistently getting refunds between $1,200-1,800 each year, which apparently is pretty common for our income bracket. The tool broke down exactly why I was getting those refunds and gave me specific suggestions for adjusting my W-4 to get closer to breaking even. What I really liked is that it showed me historical patterns in my withholding that I never noticed before.

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai since I was initially skeptical. I ended up trying it after realizing I'd gotten refunds of $2,200+ for three years straight while making around 68k. Turns out I had my withholding way off! The analysis showed I was essentially giving up about $180 every month that could have been in my paychecks. I followed their W-4 adjustment recommendations in February, and my paychecks have already increased by about $170. Still withholding enough to cover my taxes, but not excessively anymore. Wish I'd known about this years ago instead of proudly thinking my big refunds were some kind of achievement.

For anyone struggling to get accurate information about their tax situation from the IRS directly - I spent WEEKS trying to get through the IRS phone line to ask questions about changing my withholding and whether my refunds were in the normal range. Always busy signals or 2+ hour wait times. Finally discovered https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the phone tree for you and call you when an agent is on the line. The IRS agent confirmed that for my 73k income as a single filer, my refund of $1,750 was on the higher end of typical, and walked me through the exact W-4 changes needed.

I need to eat crow here and follow up on my skeptical comment. After another frustrating attempt to reach the IRS directly (2.5 hours on hold only to get disconnected), I broke down and tried the Claimyr service. I was absolutely shocked when I got a call back in about 45 minutes with an actual IRS representative on the line. The agent answered my withholding questions and explained why my refunds had been all over the place the last few years ($800 one year, $2,200 the next). Turns out there were some specific deductions I qualified for that I hadn't been claiming consistently. Still seems crazy that we need services like this to talk to the government agency we fund with our taxes, but I can't deny it worked exactly as advertised.

Single person here making 71k with standard deduction. My refunds for the past three tax years: 2024: $1,430 2023: $1,650 2022: $850 The variation has a lot to do with how much overtime I worked each year and whether I remembered to adjust my W-4. I've found that the IRS tax withholding calculator on their website is actually pretty accurate if you take the time to use it and follow the recommendations.

I'm in the 72k range, single no dependents, and I've gotten my refund down to almost zero ($173 last year). I adjusted my W-4 to have an additional $50 taken out per paycheck because I have a small side gig that generates about $5k yearly. I'd rather have my money throughout the year than get a big refund. The people who brag about their $3000+ refunds don't realize they're basically giving the government an interest-free loan of their own money.

I'm single making around $68k and have been getting refunds between $1,400-$1,900 for the past few years. Reading through these responses is really eye-opening - I never thought about the fact that I'm basically loaning the government my money interest-free! I've been one of those people who actually looked forward to tax season because of the "bonus" refund, but now I'm realizing I could have been putting that extra $150/month toward my emergency fund or investments instead. Definitely going to look into adjusting my W-4 for next year. One question though - is there a downside to getting your withholding too precise? Like what happens if you end up owing a small amount instead of getting a refund?

I'm in a similar boat - single, making about $63k, and I've been getting refunds around $1,800-$2,100 the past couple years. Like others have mentioned, I'm starting to realize this might not be the "win" I thought it was! What's been really helpful reading through these responses is understanding that the goal should be getting close to zero rather than maximizing the refund. I always thought bigger refunds meant I was doing something right with my taxes, but now I see I've just been giving up money I could have had in my paychecks all year. I'm definitely going to try using the IRS withholding calculator that Charlotte mentioned, and maybe look into some of the other tools people have suggested here. It sounds like most people in our income range who have their withholding dialed in are seeing much smaller refunds or even breaking close to even. Thanks for asking this question - it's been really educational seeing everyone's actual numbers and experiences rather than just guessing if my situation was normal!

Single filer here making $67k annually, and my refunds have been all over the place until I figured out what was going on. Last three years: 2024: $2,340 2023: $1,890 2022: $2,150 I finally realized I was way overwithholding when I did the math - that's nearly $200 a month I could have had in my paychecks! What really helped me was running through the IRS withholding calculator mid-year and adjusting my W-4. Now I'm on track for a much smaller refund this year (probably around $300-400). One thing I learned that might help others: if you get the same paycheck amount every two weeks and don't have significant other income sources, the standard W-4 setup often works pretty well. But if you got a raise during the year, changed jobs, or had any life changes, it's worth revisiting your withholding rather than just leaving it on autopilot. The mental shift from "yay big refund!" to "I want to keep my money throughout the year" was surprisingly hard to make, but seeing that extra money in each paycheck has been so much better than waiting for one lump sum in April.