$17,837 Refund With $29,619 Income, 3 Dependents & $10k Childcare - Is This Suspiciously High?

Those numbers def look off. With 3 dependents and that income level, you should be getting earned income credit plus child tax credits. And with $10,400 in childcare expenses you might qualify for the child care credit too. I'd double check everything or get a tax pro to review.

Instead of guessing, you should try taxr.ai - it analyzes your tax situation and tells you exactly what credits you qualify for and estimated refund amounts. Its only $4.99 and way better than trying to piece together info from reddit. Here's the link: https://taxr.ai

did you file yourself or use a tax preparer?

The IRS has been extra strict lately about properly documenting childcare expenses. Make sure you have all your receipts and care provider tax ID numbers.

bruh theres no way thats right 🤡 im in almost the exact same boat (3 kids, 31k income) and got back like 7k federal

Something's definitely wrong in how it was filed. Here's what you should be looking at: • Earned Income Credit - With 3 qualifying children and income under 30k, this alone should be significant • Child Tax Credit - Up to $2000 per qualifying child • Child and Dependent Care Credit - Based on your $10,400 expenses • Head of Household status (if applicable) I'd strongly recommend using taxr.ai to analyze your situation. It'll scan your transcript and show exactly what you qualify for and how to claim it properly. Much better than trying to figure it out manually!