{"id":172930,"date":"2023-03-26T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-26T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/?p=171629"},"modified":"2023-03-26T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-26T12:00:00","slug":"what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do if you get a tax refund in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Credit Sesame has a few ideas on what you could do if you get a tax refund in 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of February 10, the Internal Revenue Service reported the average 2023 tax refund is $1,997. This is lower than the average refund of $2,323 in 2022. People who get their refunds through direct deposit get a slightly higher refund, at $2,084 in 2023, down from $2,400 in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current averages could drop more, however, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/about-irs\/the-2023-tax-season-has-begun-irs-offers-tips-to-accurately-file-your-return\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IRS projects refunds to be smaller<\/a> in 2023 for a few reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>No stimulus payments in 2022.<\/li><li>Taxpayers who do not itemize and take the standard deduction cannot deduct their charitable contributions as they did on their 2021 returns.\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Having nearly $2,000 drop in your lap may not sound like a big enough windfall to change your life, but it can do some good if you use it wisely. Here are a few ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adjust your withholding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting some extra money in your pocket around April is nice, but you might prefer to have that money throughout the year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you regularly get a tax refund, then you may want to change your tax withholding allowance from your employer. Otherwise, you are extending an interest-free loan to the federal government that you get back only after you file your taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Completing a new Form W-4 and giving it to your employer can increase your paychecks so that the $2,000 you get in a tax refund is instead given to you throughout the year. If you\u2019re paid every two weeks you could see about $77 more in each paycheck by lowering your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/individuals\/employees\/tax-withholding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">withholding<\/a>. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/individuals\/tax-withholding-estimator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tax withholding estimator<\/a> at the IRS website can help you figure out how much to withhold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pay down high-interest debts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Interest rates have been rising since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/03\/16\/federal-reserve-meeting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">March 2022<\/a> when the Federal Reserve started raising rates in an effort to curb high inflation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a personal loan or carry revolving debt on your credit cards, chances are the interest rates charged are higher than they were a year ago. A $2,000 payment could save you a lot of money. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The average credit card user carried <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.transunion.com\/q4-2022-ciir\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$5,805 in credit card debt<\/a> over the last three months of 2022, up 11% from the previous year. In February 2023, the average credit card interest rate on accounts with balances was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/credit-cards\/average-credit-card-interest-rate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">20.4%<\/a>. Using those figures and making a $100 monthly payment, it would take 21 years and five months to pay off the balance, with the total interest paid of $19,889.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pay it down with a lump sum payment of $2,000, and continue making $100 monthly payments, and it would take five years and two months to pay the $3,805 balance off, and the total interest paid drops to $2,369.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019d save $17,520 in interest, and the debt would be paid off 16 years and two months sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personal loan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/personal-loans\/personal-loan-rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rates range<\/a> from 4%-36%, with the average at 12%-15%. In the third quarter of 2022, the <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.transunion.com\/credit-card-and-personal-loan-balances-reach-record-levels-as-consumers-navigate-high-inflation-rising-interest-rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average personal loan debt<\/a> was $5,474. Paying approximately $250 per month on an average loan at 12% interest would take two years to pay off and the total interest paid would be $710.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pay off $2,000 of that personal loan in a lump sum, and your monthly payment would drop to around $160 per month for two years, and the total interest paid would drop to $624. It\u2019s not a huge drop in interest, but your monthly payment falls by 56%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s good to pay down debt on other loans, too, but start with the highest-interest loans that you owe most on. In particular, get credit cards down to under 30% credit utilization if you can. This means get the balance down to under 30% of the limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">High-yield savings account<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t have any high-interest debts where a $2,000 payment would have a big impact, you may want to earn some interest from your tax refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High-yield savings accounts pay around 4% annual percentage yield, or APY, which is more than 12 times the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fdic.gov\/resources\/bankers\/national-rates\/\">0.35% APY regular savings accounts<\/a> pay. Deposit $2,000 in a high-yield savings account paying 4% interest for a year and you earn about $80 in interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emergency fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t have an emergency fund, then $2,000 is a good amount to start one with. Ideally an emergency fund should have six months of living expenses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But at the very least, having $2,000 socked away should help a lot if an emergency happens. Your car may need to be repaired, a household appliance can break, or you may have an emergency room visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Retirement fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As with a savings account, putting a $2,000 windfall in a retirement account won\u2019t make your life a whole lot easier immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you don\u2019t have a retirement account, $2,000 could be a good start, especially if your employer offers a matching contribution. <a href=\"https:\/\/investor.vanguard.com\/investor-resources-education\/retirement\/savings-when-to-start\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vanguard points out<\/a> that if you saved about $4,500 per year over a 45-year career, you could have more than $1 million by the time you retire. But if your employer matches your contribution, your yearly investment could be as small as $2,200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prepay taxes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t a fun option, but if you\u2019re self-employed and expect to owe quarterly tax payments in 2023, you can prepay some of your income taxes with your refund from 2022.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/businesses\/small-businesses-self-employed\/estimated-taxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">As the IRS warns<\/a>, if you don\u2019t pay enough tax through withholding and estimated tax payments, you may be charged a penalty. Prepaying taxes now can help you avoid a penalty, and you shouldn\u2019t have to save as much to pay them in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you enjoyed <em>What to Do if You Get a Tax Refund in 2023<\/em>, you may also like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/savings\/6-reasons-for-a-budget-makeover-in-2023\/\">6 Reasons for a Budget Makeover in 2023<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/stats\/how-to-combat-inflation-every-day\/\">How to Combat Inflation Every Day<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/stats\/tax-day-deadline-how-to-file-a-tax-extension\/\">Tax Day Deadline Looms: How to File a Tax Extension<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Disclaimer: The article and information provided here is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for formal professional advice.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit Sesame has a few ideas on what you could do if you get a tax refund in 2023. As of February 10, the Internal Revenue Service reported the average 2023 tax refund is $1,997. This is lower than the average refund of $2,323 in 2022. People who get their refunds through direct deposit get [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":171788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[104,114,118,165,455,456],"tags":[134,177,481,510],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What to do if you get a tax refund in 2023 ~ Credit Sesame<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Credit Sesame has a few ideas on what you could do if you get a tax refund in 2023. 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The Internal Revenue Service reported the average 2023 tax refund is $1,997.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Credit Sesame\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-26T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Get-a-tax-refund-in-2023_AdobeStock_169194489.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"854\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aaron Crowe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aaron Crowe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Aaron Crowe\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/#\/schema\/person\/357ddcdb7d9efde68ebcfc7335e1690d\"},\"headline\":\"What to do if you get a tax refund in 2023\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-26T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-26T12:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/\"},\"wordCount\":960,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Credit Cards\",\"Retirement Savings\",\"Tax Refund\",\"Interest Rates\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Debt\",\"Savings\",\"Loans\",\"Tax\",\"Wealth\",\"Featured Guides\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/blog\/loans\/what-to-do-if-you-get-a-tax-refund\/\",\"name\":\"What to do if you get a tax refund in 2023 ~ Credit Sesame\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.creditsesame.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-26T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-26T12:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Credit Sesame has a few ideas on what you could do if you get a tax refund in 2023. 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