The Government Probably Took Too Much of Your Paycheck This Year — Here’s How to Get It Back
You May Have Overpaid Taxes — How to Get It Back
If you worked a job this year and noticed a sizable chunk missing from every paycheck, you’re not alone. For millions of workers, especially part-time employees , students , and people with changing income , the government often withholds more in taxes than you actually owe. The good news? That extra money isn’t gone forever. You may be able to get it back as a tax refund . Here’s how overwithholding happens, how to tell if it affected you, and what steps you can take to reclaim your money. Why the Government Might Have Taken Too Much Taxes are withheld from your paycheck based on estimates, not perfect information. Your employer uses the details you provide on your Form W-4 to guess how much federal income tax you’ll owe for the year. If those estimates are off, the withholding can be too high. Common reasons this happens include: You worked only part of the year. If you had a summer job or started midyear, the withholding assumes you’ll earn that same amount all year long. You worked part-tim…
