Many Americans receive tax refunds when their paycheck withholding is greater than the amount of tax they owe for the year. This means that the IRS has held onto that money all throughout the year and is giving you back the difference. This is the same concept as paying for $15 item at the store with $20, you expect them to give $5 in change. However, a lot of people get excited about this “change” that they are getting back during tax season. For some people it may be like an extra paycheck and they can finally make that purchase for which they have been saving. In effect, you are giving the IRS a free loan when you have a big tax refund. The IRS doesn’t like to hand out free loans to us taxpayers yet the IRS receives those “loans” every year. Our advice would be to change your withholding amount, so that you can have that money throughout the year, instead of waiting until tax season to receive money that rightfully belongs to you.