Is TurboTax's $20,677 Amended Return Refund Accurate for My 2021 COVID Business Loss?

I just amended my 2021 return and TurboTax is showing a Federal Refund of exactly $20,677 on my myturbotax.intuit.com dashboard. I was self employed but had to shut down during covid and was sick for a few weeks. This seems way too high - anyone else get something similar? I'm looking at the login screen of TurboTax right now that says "TurboTax Login - Sign in to Get Started on Your Tax Return" at myturbotax.intuit.com. After logging in, I can see the Federal Refund amount displayed prominently with a question mark icon next to it showing "$20,677" in large text. Below the refund amount, there's a "Contact Priority Support" option and several help resources including "Popular Help Topics," "Top Issues," "Help with this Page," "Where Do I Enter?" and "Deduction Dictionary." The system shows memory usage of 559 MB. Before I hit submit, I want to make absolutely sure this isn't some kind of system error. The amount is so specific - $20,677 - and while I know I had losses from having to close my business and being sick, this refund amount seems excessive. Has anyone else who amended their 2021 return seen refund amounts like this? I've got the TurboTax Priority Support option right there on my screen, but wanted to check here first before contacting them. Is this a normal amount for someone who had to shut down a small business during COVID? I'm concerned about triggering an audit if I claim this full amount, even though TurboTax calculated it based on the information I entered.

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16 comments

Mei Chen

•10M

The TurboTax dashboard is showing a precise Federal Refund amount of $20,677, which appears on your account interface. While this specific amount could be legitimate, particularly due to 2021's COVID relief programs for self-employed individuals, it's important to understand what might be generating such a large refund. The key COVID-related programs that could contribute to this amount include: - Self-Employed Sick Leave Credit (for your reported illness period) - Employee Retention Credit - Other pandemic relief provisions specific to business closures Looking at your TurboTax interface, you have access to Priority Support and Help Topics directly from your dashboard. Before submitting, I strongly recommend: 1. Using the "Help with this Page" feature to verify each entry 2. Consulting the "Deduction Dictionary" to confirm eligible claims 3. Double-checking all income reporting through the "Where Do I Enter?" section The memory usage showing 559 MB suggests you're working with a significant amount of tax data, so take extra care to review all entries, especially those related to your business closure period and documented illness time.

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Isabella Martin

•5M

$20,677 is definitely on the higher end, but not impossible for 2021 COVID situations. A few things to consider: 1. **Verify your entries** - Since you mentioned being sick and having to close your business, make sure you correctly entered: - Sick leave credits for self-employed individuals - Business loss calculations - Any Employee Retention Credits if applicable 2. **Use TurboTax's built-in tools** - You mentioned having Priority Support right there on your dashboard. Their review service might be worth it for this amount. 3. **Document everything** - Keep records of your business closure dates, medical documentation for your illness, and any other supporting documents. 4. **Consider a second opinion** - For a refund this large, it might be worth having a tax professional review your return before submitting. The fact that TurboTax calculated this specific amount based on your inputs is a good sign, but double-checking never hurts when we're talking about $20K+. Better to be thorough now than deal with IRS questions later!

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