A tax refund from the United States Internal Revenue Service is a refund on the taxes of an individual citizen. When someone receives a refund, the government has given the taxpayer back the amount overpaid on his or her taxes. Paying more taxes that are due is common among people who find that the amount of tax they owe is less than the sum of the withholding tax that they have paid in a year's time. A refund can be received on taxes when the total of the refundable tax credits a taxpayer possesses is less than the tax that is owed. Many people are able to get a tax refund even when they do not even owe any income tax to the government. The Earned Income tax credit has helped many families receive a refund.