25 Using the Site ④ Confirming and Reading Results
Question for this chapter. How do I pick my U.S. filing status on the site, and how should I read the refund range and review cards on the results screen?
Answer. The confirmation step asks you to choose a filing status, state your marital status for the year, and look once more at the facts that feed the calculation. The refund range on the results screen is a reference calculation built from what you have entered so far, and it is not the total of the card amounts. Read the badges and the list of what the range leaves out before you read the range itself.
What to check
- Choose the filing status that fits your situation; only single, married filing jointly and head of household are calculated, and an "I'm not sure" answer stays open.
- Check that your marital status answer for the year fits the filing status you picked.
- Look at each badge in the input summary to see whether a value was entered, assumed as an average, or confirmed against a document.
- Note how many inputs and assumptions remain, since cards tied to open facts will say they become more precise with more input.
- If the screen says the upper end is open, the state calculation is missing, or the estimate is partial, treat the range as incomplete.
What to confirm. Confirm that your filing status and marital status answers agree with each other and that the badges on your key values show what you intend before starting the calculation.
One-line summary. Choose your status carefully, check the badges and remaining inputs, and read the range as a partial reference figure rather than a total.
The full chapter is in the book. The web shows only each chapter's question, answer, checkpoints and one-line summary.