6 Ways to Get a Bigger Tax Refund

Wondering how to get more money back on taxes? Maximizing your deductions, claiming available tax credits and adjusting your withholdings can all increase your refund. Contributing to retirement accounts and health savings plans may also lower taxable income, potentially leading to a bigger return. Knowing which tax breaks apply to your situation can help you maximize your refund when filing this April. 

To look beyond this year’s tax refund and minimize taxes on your long-term financial plan, find a financial advisor who specializes in tax planning.

How to Maximize Your Tax Return

To maximize your tax return, you’ll likely need to overpay your taxes throughout the year. 

However, this isn’t a strategy that is recommended by experts. If the government is holding your money throughout the year, you are unable to earn interest on those holdings. Instead, you can get the appropriate amount of tax taken out each month and use that money for yourself by investing it throughout the year. 

However, if you want a larger refund instead of getting more money throughout the year, there are a few different strategies you can employ.

1. Consider Adjust Your Filing Status

Your filing status can have a significant impact on your tax refund, regardless of whether you’re single or married. For most married couples, filing jointly makes sense, but there are some situations where you should consider filing separately.

For example, if you or your spouse has a significant amount of medical or business expenses, filing separately may reduce your adjusted gross income (AGI) and increase the amount you can deduct. This is because these deductions can only be taken if they exceed a given percentage of your income.

On the other hand, filing separately may mean you miss out on some key tax credits. In this case, filing jointly could be more beneficial.

Run the numbers to see which filing status yields the bigger benefit. If math isn’t your forte, you can use the free SmartAsset tax return calculator to easily estimate your return.

If you’re single, look into whether you qualify for head of household status. Generally, you need to have paid more than half the cost of maintaining a household for yourself and a qualifying dependent over the year. For tax purposes, this could mean a child or a dependent adult, including an aging parent. 

If you’re able to file as a head of household, it could give your refund a significant boost. For example, heads of household get a larger standard deduction than single filers.

2. Claim the Right Credits

A tax credit reduces the amount of tax you owe to the IRS on a dollar-for-dollar basis. For example, if you owe $6,000 in taxes and claim a $1,000 credit, your bill drops to $5,000. Certain credits may even be refundable, so you can claim them even without any tax liability.

There are some common tax credits you can claim.

• The Earned Income Tax Credit allows qualified tax filers to claim up to $8,231 for three or more qualifying children in tax year 2026, up from $8,046 in 2025 and $7,830 in tax year 2024.
• The Child and Dependent Care Credit can provide up to $3,000 for one qualifying individual or $6,000 for two or more qualifying individuals. This credit helps reimburse childcare expenses incurred during the tax year.
• The Child Tax Credit is worth up to $2,200 per dependent for tax year 2026, with up to $1,700 refundable.

Your eligibility to claim these and other tax credits typically depends on your income, filing status and whether or not you have eligible dependents. 

There are other types of tax credits you can benefit from, too.

• Education credit. For credits related to education expenses, there are additional guidelines regarding when you can claim them and which expenses qualify.
• Energy tax credit. You may also earn credits for making certain energy-efficient improvements to your home. 
• Premium Tax Credit. There is also the Premium Tax Credit PTC), which can offset some of the cost of premiums for insurance policies purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Estimate how credits could lower your tax bill with our income tax calculator:

3. Don’t Forget About Deductions

Credits typically yield a bigger tax return than deductions, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook key write-offs for which you qualify. Instead of reducing the amount of tax you owe, deductions reduce the amount of income that is subject to tax.

When you file your taxes, you have to decide whether to take the standard deduction or itemize. For many filers, the Trump tax plan’s doubling of the standard deduction has made this choice an easy one. 

However, itemizing becomes the smarter choice when you have a lot of deductible expenses, such as the following:

• Business expenses, such as mileage and lodging
• Home office expenses if self-employed
• Charitable donations
• Mortgage interest
• Student loan interest
• Sports betting 

The amount of each expense you can deduct does vary. It’s also important to ensure you have the appropriate records to back up your claims, such as receipts or bank statements.

4. Max Out Your Retirement Accounts

Contributing to retirement accounts can lower taxable income, increasing the likelihood of a bigger refund. Traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans allow pre-tax contributions, reducing the amount of income subject to taxation.

You can fund your IRA for the previous tax year right up to the April filing deadline, and your contributions may be partially or fully deductible. It’s an above-the-line deduction, which means you can take the deduction even if you’re not itemizing.

You may also be able to claim a tax credit for your contributions. The Retirement Saver’s Credit applies to contributions to both traditional and Roth IRAs, but you have to meet specific income guidelines to qualify. 

When it comes to filing your taxes, every penny counts, especially when you’re trying to beef up your tax refund. The more you know about which tax benefits you qualify for, the more money you’ll be able to put in your pocket.

5. Contribute to an HSA or FSA

Funds contributed to a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) for medical care expenses are made on a pre-tax basis, thus reducing your taxable income.

HSAs offer tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. Contributions lower taxable income, and unlike FSAs, unused funds roll over indefinitely. 

Those with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) may benefit from contributing the maximum allowable amount in 2026 – $4,400 for individual plans and $8,750 for family coverage – before the April tax deadline to reduce taxable income and potentially increase their refund.

While FSAs generally have a “use it or lose it” rule, some plans allow a short grace period or a small carryover amount into the next year. Ensuring that all FSA funds are used before deadlines can maximize tax savings and increase potential refunds.

6. Review and Update Your Withholding

Your tax withholding determines how much federal income tax is taken from each paycheck. 

If you want a larger refund, you can raise the amount withheld during the year by submitting an updated Form W-4 to your employer. This increases the amount of prepaid taxes made throughout the year, resulting in a bigger refund at filing time.

Life changes often make withholding adjustments necessary. A marriage, divorce, new child, second job or significant income shift can all alter your tax position. Updating the W-4 after these events can help you avoid surprises at tax time while aligning your withholding with the refund amount you want.

Some employees also adjust withholding on bonuses or irregular pay. Increasing the withholding on these payments can help increase the refund without changing your withholding on regular wages. 

The IRS withholding estimator can help you calculate the withholding amount that best fits your financial goals.

Bottom Line

There are ways to boost the tax refund you get back from the government. It’s all about optimizing your deductions, claims and credits. Even your filing status may result in a larger refund. 

To get the biggest possible refund, make sure that you use the best tax filing software you can. A tax advisor or financial advisor service will help you get every deduction and credit that you qualify for while guiding you through the process to eliminate confusion as you work through your return.

Tax Planning Tips

• You might also want to use your refund to start investing. A financial advisor can guide you on how to invest in a tax-efficient manner. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
• Another alternative is putting your refund into a savings account immediately, avoiding the urge to spend it instead. This allows your money to grow inside an FDIC-insured account. This offers an ideal way to save towards a savings goal or to simply build an emergency fund.

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