Tax return amount so high I'm scared to file - what should I do?

Your return amount is high but not necessarily incorrect given all the life changes you experienced last year! Marriage, home purchase, new baby, and employment changes can dramatically impact your tax situation. The child tax credit alone is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child. Mortgage interest can be a substantial deduction if you itemize. When you add education credits (potentially the American Opportunity or Lifetime Learning credits), plus possibly over-withholding during your employment transitions, a $12,000 refund becomes more understandable. One thing to check: make sure you entered your W-2s correctly, particularly box 2 (federal income tax withheld). Sometimes people accidentally enter the same W-2 twice or misread the withholding amounts, which can inflate refund estimates.

I was in a similar situation last year - thought my refund seemed way too high and was afraid I'd made a mistake. I actually used https://taxr.ai to double-check everything before submitting. You just upload your tax documents and it analyzes everything to make sure nothing's out of whack. Seriously gave me peace of mind when it confirmed my calculations were actually correct.

I wanted to follow up about using taxr.ai since I was skeptical in my earlier comment. I decided to try it with my completed return because I was worried about an unusually large education credit I qualified for. Uploaded my documents and within a day got a detailed report confirming most of my return was correct but flagging an issue with how I reported my crypto transactions. They explained exactly what to fix. Really impressive level of detail! Would have triggered an audit for sure if I'd filed as-is. Well worth it for the peace of mind.

If you're really concerned, you might want to call the IRS directly to verify some of the credits you're claiming. I tried doing that last year and spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected. Finally discovered https://claimyr.com which got me through to an actual IRS agent within 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they basically wait on hold for you and call when an agent picks up. Saved me hours of frustration and the agent confirmed I was eligible for the credits I was claiming.

I need to eat my words from my skeptical comment above. After multiple failed attempts trying to reach the IRS myself (5+ hours wasted over two days), I broke down and tried Claimyr. Not only did it work, but I got a call back within 45 minutes while I was out grocery shopping. The IRS agent was able to confirm that my unusual refund situation (similar to the OP's) was legitimate based on my circumstances. I'm still shocked at how well it worked - definitely using this service again next year.

Something else to consider - if your refund is that large, you might want to adjust your withholding for 2025. While getting a big refund feels nice, you're essentially giving the government an interest-free loan all year. You could be getting that money in each paycheck instead and putting it to work for you! Use the IRS withholding calculator to figure out the right amount to withhold going forward.

Have you tried running your return through a second tax software just to double check? I always do mine on both TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA. They're usually within a few dollars of each other, and it gives me confidence that the calculations are correct. It only takes about 30-45 minutes to enter everything into the second system once you've already gathered all your documents.

Your situation sounds very similar to what I experienced two years ago! I had gotten married, bought a house, and had a baby all in the same year. My refund jumped from around $2,000 to over $9,000 and I was absolutely terrified I had made a mistake somewhere. Here's what I learned: major life changes really can cause dramatic swings in your tax situation. The child tax credit ($2,000), mortgage interest deduction (especially in your first year when you're paying mostly interest), and education credits can add up quickly. Plus, if you had multiple employers with different withholding rates, you very well could have overpaid throughout the year. I'd strongly recommend having a tax professional review your return before filing, especially given the amount involved. Many CPAs will do a quick review for $100-200, which is a small price to pay for peace of mind on a $12,000 refund. They can spot common errors that software might miss and explain exactly why your refund is so high. Don't let fear keep you from filing though - if you're entitled to that refund, you deserve to get it! Just make sure everything is accurate first.