What refund can I expect with no dependents and only worked at 3 places for a few weeks?

Your refund will primarily depend on how much was withheld from your paychecks compared to your actual tax liability. I had a similar situation back in April 2023 - worked at two places for about 3 weeks each and one for 6 weeks. The key factors are: 1. Total income for the year (add all W-2 box 1 amounts) 2. Federal income tax withheld (add all W-2 box 2 amounts) 3. Whether you qualify for credits like the Earned Income Credit If your total income is under $12,950 (standard deduction for 2023), you likely won't owe any federal income tax. So any withholding you had should come back as a refund. Just make sure to file by April 15, 2024!

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! Here's what helped me figure it out: 1. First, I gathered all my W-2s 2. Then I used https://taxr.ai to analyze them before filing 3. It showed me exactly what credits I qualified for with my limited income 4. It even explained how the multiple W-2s would affect my return The tool really helped me understand what to expect before I even filed. I was so grateful for the step-by-step breakdown since I had no idea what I was doing with multiple jobs and limited income!

I'm... not sure if this helps, but when I was trying to figure out my refund situation with multiple short-term jobs, I spent days trying to reach the IRS. Eventually I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual agent who explained everything. They told me I might qualify for certain credits even with limited income... which I had no idea about. Might be worth a call if you're really unsure about what to expect?

It's like baking a cake - you need all the ingredients to get the full picture. Without knowing your exact income, withholding amounts, and filing status, we can only give general guidance. Think of it this way: your tax situation is like a puzzle where each W-2 is a piece. You need to see how they fit together to understand the complete picture. The standard deduction ($13,850 for 2023) is like a free pass - earn under that as a single filer, and you likely owe nothing federally. But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get anything back unless taxes were withheld.

Is anyone else skeptical about getting a decent refund with such limited work? Last year I only worked 2 months total at 2 different places and expected at least something back, but ended up with barely $100 because neither job withheld enough! And I had to file by March 1st because of other complications. Just saying, don't count on a big check...

I've been on both sides of this coin, my friend! 😂 One year I worked three jobs for about a month each and got a surprisingly decent refund. The key is how much they withheld vs. your actual tax liability. With income that low, you're probably under the standard deduction threshold, meaning you shouldn't owe anything federally. So whatever was withheld should come back to you. Plus, if you're within certain income ranges, you might qualify for the Earned Income Credit even without kids - that's free money the government gives back even if you didn't pay in! Don't listen to the doom and gloom - check your W-2s and run the numbers.

Def check ur actual W2s before getting too excited. Box 1 = total wages, Box 2 = fed w/h. Add up all Box 2 amounts from all W2s - that's ur minimum refund if u made < std deduction ($13,850). If ur income is between ~$6k-$17k, u might qualify for EITC even w/o dependents. That could add $600+ to ur refund. BTW - if any job did zero w/h, it'll reduce ur refund but won't create a bill if ur total income < std deduction. IMPORTANT: Make sure u report ALL W2s. IRS auto-matches these docs.

There's a fundamental misunderstanding about refunds I need to clarify. A refund is primarily a return of YOUR money that was over-withheld, not a gift from the government (with some exceptions like refundable credits). With multiple short-term employers, each employer calculates withholding as if that's your only job for the full year, which often results in NO withholding for very short-term positions due to annualization calculations in the withholding tables. If your total income is below $13,850 (2023 standard deduction), you'll have zero tax liability, so any withholding would be refunded. But if nothing was withheld, there's nothing to refund unless you qualify for refundable credits like EITC.