Find out what you really get back
Most people never see the real number on their tax return. When you let a preparer take their fee directly out of your refund, you’re signing away control. Buried deep in a 300–400 page return, the IRS shows how much you’re truly owed — but that number rarely gets highlighted.
What you see is the “leftover” after the preparer has already skimmed their cut. I’ve seen it firsthand. A firefighter client — salary around $120k with side work — was told his refund was $3–4k each year. In reality, the IRS was sending back $9–11k. The rest? Buried in paperwork and gone to the preparer.
That’s why this W-2 Refund Estimator exists: to show you the real number in plain English, fast, before anyone else touches it.
WHAT THIS TOOL GIVES YOU
A clear view of what your numbers actually mean.
No formatting tricks. No hidden offsets.
Just the real outcome, in plain English.
W-2 Refund Estimator (Federal)
Inputs
Plain-English help: Enter W-2 wages and withholding, choose filing status, keep “Use standard deduction” on unless you itemize. Add kids for the Child Tax Credit. State % is just a rough display.