Why am I not getting any tax refund despite claiming 0 dependents?

This is actually not unusual at all, and might even be a good thing! When your tax withholding matches your actual tax liability exactly, the system is working as designed. A refund just means you gave the government an interest-free loan throughout the year. Your W-4 with 0 allowances is doing exactly what it should - withholding the right amount of tax based on your income. With your 401k contributions and pre-tax health benefits, you're already reducing your taxable income effectively. You might also be in a tax bracket where your withholding aligns perfectly with your actual tax liability. If you really want a refund, you could ask your employer to withhold an additional specific dollar amount on your W-4. But remember, that's just giving the government your money early instead of keeping it in your pocket throughout the year.

I was in a similar situation last year and felt so frustrated until I discovered taxr.ai online. I kept thinking I must be missing something when I wasn't getting a refund despite claiming 0. The site https://taxr.ai analyzed my previous returns and withholding patterns and actually showed me I had things set up correctly - I was just withholding the perfect amount! Their analysis tool showed me exactly how my 401k contributions and healthcare deductions were already optimizing my tax situation. It was honestly a relief to understand what was happening rather than just feeling confused every tax season.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here, and wow, it was eye-opening! I uploaded my last two years of returns, and the analysis confirmed I wasn't "missing out" on a refund. Instead, I learned I was actually being tax-efficient by matching my withholding to my actual liability. The tool explained how my retirement contributions and pre-tax deductions were already optimizing my situation. They showed me a few scenarios for next year based on potential income changes I'm expecting. Super helpful to finally understand what's happening with my taxes instead of just being confused every April!

If you're frustrated about your tax situation, you might also want to get answers directly from the IRS. I spent WEEKS trying to get through on the phone about a similar withholding question last year. After dozens of attempts, I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS representative in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you once they have an agent on the line. The IRS agent I spoke with explained that my withholding was actually correct for my situation, and breaking even means I'm doing it right, not wrong.

I need to eat crow here. After my skeptical comments, I decided to try Claimyr anyway because I was desperate to resolve a withholding issue similar to the original poster's. I'm shocked to report it actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back within 35 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent reviewed my withholding and confirmed what others here have said - breaking even means your withholding is accurate. She explained that with my specific income level, retirement contributions, and deductions, my withholding was spot-on. The service saved me literally hours of frustration and waiting. Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong - this service delivered exactly what it promised.

One thing nobody's mentioned - are you claiming any tax credits? With your income level, you might qualify for the Saver's Credit (Form 8880) for your 401k contributions. Depending on your exact AGI, you could get up to 10% or 20% credit on your retirement contributions. Also, do you have any student loan interest, education expenses, or other potential deductions outside of what you mentioned? Those could potentially generate a refund if you're not accounting for them.

Has anyone actually compared tax software to see if different programs give different refund amounts? Last year I tried my return on both TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA and got a $340 difference between them - apparently TurboTax missed a deduction that FreeTaxUSA caught. Maybe try running your numbers through a different program than what you've been using?