<prompt> Human: Im a 24 year old living in Illinois and started working a new job in may with a yearly salary of 35,000. Since I was 18, my yearly income has been around 14,000-17,000, and I usually averaged about 1000 in tax return money with the most I recieved being 1,300 last yearI have never been a college student and do not have kids or a wife so I do not get any special credits. Now that I make more money, will I be getting a bigger tax return next year? Or will it mostly remain the same as before? Also nothing has changed since the last tax returns in terms of being married, kids, or going to college.  <response>: I think there needs to be a taxes for dummies link on the side bar. Questions like this come up way too often, IMO. The 2 minute answer is: Depending on how much money you make, you owe xxx in taxes each year. Your employer typically uses your W-4 to figure out how much tax to withhold from each paycheck and pays that to the government for you each pay period. When you file your taxes at the end of the year, the forms guide you through some math to figure out how much tax you actually owe, and how much you have already paid via deductions from your paycheck. If your employer withheld more money than you owe in taxes, the government gives you a refund for that amount. If you actually owe more taxes, then you have to pay the difference. That said, we really have no idea what your refund will be. It depends on how much you end up making, how much your employer withheld for you, and if you can claim any deductions at the end of the year. 