Federal refund and amount-due preview
Estimate your refund without a black box.
SargoTax AI compares supported tax with the federal withholding, estimated payments, and refundable credits you enter—often starting from W-2 facts. The estimator labels whether the preliminary result is a refund or an amount due and keeps the underlying amounts visible.
Refund, balance due, and payments
Federal withholding is normally reported on forms such as W-2 and 1099. Estimated tax payments are separate payments made during the year. Entering both accurately matters because they are compared with the supported tax calculation.
If the entered payments and refundable credits exceed supported tax, the estimator displays a refund. If supported tax is higher, it displays an amount due. A state result is calculated separately when the selected state and facts are supported.
Use the estimate as a planning signal
A preliminary refund estimate can help you spot missing payments, ask better questions, and gather documents. It should not replace the final forms, schedules, elections, and reconciliations required for filing.
Review every warning. A result that excludes a tax situation may change when that situation is calculated on the final return.
Plain-language answers
Common questions
Why is my estimated refund different from last year?
Income, withholding, payments, filing status, deductions, credits, and tax rules can all change from one year to another.
Does a large refund mean lower tax?
Not necessarily. A refund often reflects that payments and refundable credits exceeded the calculated tax.
Can I estimate an amount due too?
Yes. The same calculation labels an amount due when supported tax exceeds the entered payments and refundable credits.
Official sources and further reading
These links support the general tax-year and jurisdiction information above. Official instructions control if guidance changes.