How does tax refund work? ?

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On April 15th of each year, Americans are required to file a Form 1040 with the Internal Revenue Service. If you google "IRS Form 1040 instructions" and click there you should be able to learn what you need to know.

You fill out a tax return, and if you overpaid, you get a refund of the amount overpaid.  This is for income taxes.  SS and Medicare are not refunded.  Not everyone gets a refund.  Some people owe more when they file.

The government keeps some of it.  They do not give back all of it.

It does not happen automatically.  You have to file something.

What you file is called a "return".  It is a form on which you calculate how much the government should keep.  If more than that was deducted, then they send you the difference.

If you pay more than you owe the over payment is refunded.

You have a variety of taxes being taken out of your check.   You will NEVER get a refund of social security or medicare tax.

You may get a refund of federal income tax or you may owe if you don't have enough deducted. 

You get a tax refund when you OVERPAY your taxes.   The W-4 you filled out is how you tell your employer how much to deduct.  

In the beginning of 2021 you will file your tax return for 2020.  This is how you will calculate your refund or underpayment. 

At the end of the year your employer will give you a tax form called a W-2 (they must provide it by January 31st)

This form will have all your totals for 2020 on it - such as total wages earned, and total amount withheld for each type of tax. These amounts should match the "year to date" amounts on the last paycheck you receive in the year 2020.

Social Security and medicare taxes do not get refunded.

You'll need to file a federal tax return using form 1040 (or a software program that fills it out for you) and enter the earnings and taxes. When you fill out the 1040 and follow the instructions you will end up computing the total income tax you actually owe for the year. Then you subtract the amount you already paid through your paychecks. If you paid more than you owe you get the extra money refunded to you. On the other hand if you haven't paid enough you have to pay the difference with your tax return.

There will be a similar process for state income taxes unless you live and work in one of the handful of states that doesn't have state income tax.

I suggest you attempt to fill out actual paper forms (use pencil) before you dive into a software program or pay some tax pro $100+ to file a relatively simple return. Don't actually mail the paper form, but just fill it out to gain an understanding of how it all works. You'll be doing this every year for the rest of your life, so its worth a few minutes of your time to learn how it all works and how it affects your bank account even if you choose to use tax software or pay a tax pro for convenience.

You need to file a tax return with the IRS. If you are entitled to any kind of refund, it can be mailed to you or deposited into a bank account. It is up to you to set it up. None if it is automatic. You need to file the return. Also you need ti file a state return, not just federal.

https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/how-to-file

To get a refund, you must file a tax return.  You can do that on your own or pay someone to do it for you.  

On this tax return, you will calculated your tax liability.  This number is compared to the taxes withheld that is reported on your W2 that you will receive in January.If your withholding exceeds your liability, you will get a refund of the difference.If your liability exceeds your withholding, you will owe even more.

Most people on their first job do get refunds but some do owe.  I had to tell a 16 year old once that she owed about $2000.  She had filled out her W4 wrong and nothing had been withheld besides Social Security and Medicare.

when you file your taxes in april you may get some back. not all of it. or you may owe taxes.