<prompt> Human: This is my first year filing taxes, so apologies if this is a very basic question that everyone is tired of answering. I looked through the wiki and tax margins link and couldnt really make sense of things. Heres the breakdown: in 2015 I made 17,974.40 and paid 810.10 in federal income tax, but Im only getting 42 back in federal refund. I held two jobs, a technician with the USDA and now have a graduate student assistantship. I just want to know if this seems correct before submitting my taxes. Thanks in advance.  <response>: Yes, its correct, if you are single, not a dependent, and dont have dependents. See TaxCaster web page to confirm.income 17974standard deduction 6300personal exemption 4000taxable income 17974 - 6300 - 4000 7674income tax 768Youre in the 10 tax bracket, so you look up 7674 in the tax table in 1040 instructions. It shows you owe 768, which is the value paid by anyone with taxable income in the range 7650-7700. Aside: Technically 10 of 7674 would round down to 767, but youre required to use the tax table ranges when your taxable income is under 100,000. So you have that one extra dollar to pay, because everyone in that 7650-7700 income range is treated as if they had exactly 7675 in taxable income, the middle value in the range.tax table snippetBut you already paid 810.Since withholding tax is positive, thats the refund you get: 810 768, which is precisely 42.Your withholding was very close to your actual income tax. So thats great: you didnt get surprised by not having sent in enough during the year. The 42 that you overpaid during the year is now going to be refunded to you so everythings square.Similar calculations would be needed if you have state income tax, but youd have to refer to forms and taxes applicable in your state. 