Tax rebate calculators help you figure out how much you’ll get from the IRS

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: March 19, 2008

Stacks of cash. The government’s promise of a tax rebate check has a lot of us dreaming about it. But just how much will you get back?

This is a big question that I get a lot because it varies from person to person and family to family.

As promised, the IRS now has an online calculator to help you figure it out. It’s basically a form with a bunch of questions. Some are pretty easy like: are you or your spouse a nonresident alien? or do you have a valid social security number? It will then ask what kind of tax form you filled out. If you filled out a 1040 for your 2007 taxes, you will be asked a long list of questions.

Here’s the deal, you won’t be able to do this without having a copy of your completed 2007 taxes in front of you. The calculator will ask for specific information from different lines from your taxes. The form gives very good directions, you’ll just need your taxes to complete it.

If you filled out a 1040A or a 1040EZ there are fewer questions. Once you’re done, click continue and you’ll get the estimated amount of your refund.

There are other rebate calculators out there including kiplinger.com, turbotax.com, and yourmoneypage.com. We did them all and while they are easier to use the the IRS calculator, they may not be as reliable. I tried with my tax information and got several different answers. So, your best bet might be to stick with the IRS calculator.