While I have to wait till my final numbers come in from my taxable accounts, I have plugged in the numbers so far and my refund this year is only slightly more than last, BUT I expect it to come down and perhaps even be LESS once the taxable account info comes in. 

So far, in terms of what the POTUS claimed, the net result has been basically a "bust". 

We will see if others that post here are finding the same thing or not. 

Tarnation wrote:

A large tax refund indicates poor planning and even poorer judgement:   Giving the Feds an interest-free loan for 12 months.

Better to adjust the withholding and have the difference deposited into a secondary savings account.

I totally agree, Tarnation. I also discovered another reason to avoid over withholding.

When I filed my 2015 return I was due a refund of a little over $1,200. Unfortunately, we were victims of identity fraud that year. Someone stole my wife's SSN and used it to file a fraudulent return. Apparently it was a pretty common scheme a few years ago.

Anyway, the IRS refused to issue my refund check until everything got straightened out. Long story - involving many letters - short I didn't receive that check until October 2018. Since 2015 I have been extremely careful to keep my withholding lower. Hey, it's no fun writing the IRS a hefty check in April, but I figure that it's better if I owe them money than me waiting on them to give me my own money back.

Last edited by Goose (2/10/2019 3:56 pm)