Understanding the Difference between TP TAX FIGURES and IMF TOTAL TAX on IRS Transcript

The difference between these two fields is actually pretty straightforward when you understand the IRS systems. "TP TAX FIGURES" refers to the tax liability you calculated and reported on your return - TP stands for "Taxpayer." This is your calculation of what you owe. "IMF TOTAL TAX" is what the IRS calculated your tax liability to be after their review. IMF stands for "Individual Master File," which is the IRS database that contains all your tax information. When these differ, it means the IRS found a discrepancy in your calculations. This commonly happens with math errors, overlooked income, incorrect credits or deductions, or sometimes just different interpretations of tax law. The IRAF reference (Inflation Reduction Act Fund) is just noting that certain calculations may be affected by inflation adjustment factors. Since your refund was reduced, the IRS believes you owe more tax than you calculated. You have the right to request a detailed explanation of the specific adjustment by calling the number on your notice or sending a written request.

Just went through something similar with a smaller adjustment. After spending hours on hold trying to reach someone at the IRS, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which analyzed my transcript and notice in seconds. It highlighted exactly what triggered the adjustment - in my case it was a miscalculation on the Child Tax Credit. The tool explained that TP TAX FIGURES is what I reported, while IMF TOTAL TAX is what their system calculated after checking all my reported income against what employers and banks submitted. It found that one of my 1099s had been entered incorrectly which affected my overall tax bracket slightly.

I was skeptical about taxr.ai at first (as you could probably tell from my comment), but I decided to try it anyway since I was getting nowhere with the IRS phone system. Glad I did! My situation involved a discrepancy between TP TAX FIGURES and IMF TOTAL TAX of about $430. The analysis showed that the IRS had applied a different standard deduction amount than what I claimed. Turns out I had incorrectly marked myself as eligible to be claimed as a dependent (I checked the wrong box) which reduced my standard deduction. The tool picked this up immediately and explained that this was why the IMF calculation differed from mine. Saved me from filing an unnecessary dispute since the error really was on my side. Now I know what to correct next time.

After struggling for WEEKS trying to understand my IRS adjustment (similar TP vs IMF difference), I was going insane trying to reach a human at the IRS. Their phone system is a complete nightmare - I kept getting disconnected after 45+ minute holds. I finally tried Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. They have this cool demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent explained that my TP TAX FIGURES was lower than the IMF TOTAL TAX because I had misapplied the Earned Income Credit calculation. Apparently the IRS computer automatically recalculates this based on your reported income and dependents, which caused the difference.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr being a scam. After venting my frustration here, I was desperate enough to try it since my transcript showed a $780 difference between TP TAX FIGURES and IMF TOTAL TAX, and I couldn't figure out why. Holy crap it actually worked! Got connected to an IRS rep in about 15 minutes (after spending DAYS trying on my own). The agent explained that the difference was because I had claimed a recovery rebate credit that I wasn't eligible for since I had already received the full stimulus payment. The TP TAX FIGURES showed what I thought I owed, while the IMF TOTAL TAX reflected the corrected amount after their system matched my records with their payment database. Would have never figured this out on my own, and the agent was actually helpful once I finally got through to them.

Another factor that could cause differences between TP TAX FIGURES and IMF TOTAL TAX is unreported income. I discovered this the hard way last year when a company sent a 1099 that I never received. The IRS computers automatically add income from forms submitted by employers/banks, recalculate your tax (creating the IMF figure), and adjust your refund accordingly. Worth checking if you received all expected tax documents. You can view all reported income forms on the IRS transcript under the "Wage and Income Transcript" section, which might show something you missed.

Just a heads up - if your TP vs IMF difference is due to a genuine error on the IRS's part, you should request a complete explanation in writing. I had a similar issue where the IMF TOTAL TAX was higher, but it turned out they had double-counted one of my income sources.

Adding to what others have shared - the key thing to understand is that TP TAX FIGURES represents YOUR calculation while IMF TOTAL TAX is the IRS's automated recalculation based on all the data they have in their system. The $290 difference in your case suggests they found something specific. Common causes include: - Missing income from a 1099 or W-2 you didn't receive - Incorrect calculation of credits (Child Tax Credit, EITC, etc.) - Wrong filing status or dependency exemptions - Math errors in tax calculations Before accepting the adjustment, I'd recommend getting your Account Transcript and Wage & Income Transcript from the IRS website. The Account Transcript will show exactly what codes they used for the adjustment, and the Wage & Income Transcript will reveal if there's unreported income. You absolutely have the right to contest this within 60 days if you believe it's incorrect. But if their calculation is right, it's better to accept it rather than go through the appeals process unnecessarily.