IRS Warns Taxpayers About Fake Tax Calculators Promising Bigger Refunds The Internal Revenue Service is cautioning taxpayers about online tools that falsely promise large refunds, urging individuals to use only official, trusted resources for tax calculations. The warning comes as the IRS continues processing tax returns and issuing refunds, with significant increases in average refunds compared to the same period last year. The IRS highlighted that scammers are exploiting the complexity of the tax code by creating fake calculators that claim to guarantee unusually large refunds. These tools often mislead users by suggesting eligibility for new tax credits or deductions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which introduced several changes to tax laws. The agency emphasized that no legitimate calculator can guarantee a refund amount, as tax outcomes depend on accurate and complete information provided by taxpayers. As of March 27, the IRS had processed 88.4 million individual tax returns, a slight decline of 1.3% compared to the same period in 2025. Despite this, the agency issued over 62.9 million refunds, with an average refund of $3,521—a 11.1% increase from the same time last year. The total refunds issued reached $221.697 billion, up 13.6% from the previous year. However, the IRS noted that many taxpayers do not qualify for the new deductions and are not receiving the full benefits of the updated tax law. The warning against fake calculators was prompted by complaints received earlier in the year about dubious online tools that falsely promised inflated refunds. These scams often mimic legitimate tax software or government websites, using misspelled URLs like "irsgov.com" or "irs-gov.org" to trick users into entering sensitive information.#irs #one_big_beautiful_bill_act #tax_withholding_estimator #sales_tax_deduction_calculator #phishingirsgov
