# Oh wow, I totally missed that. "Making work pay credit" = unexpected windfall from the IRS! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 3, 2011, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-wow-i-totally-missed-that-making-work-pay-credit-unexpected-windfall-from-the-irs/573329 "2011-03-03T08:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-wow-i-totally-missed-that-making-work-pay-credit-unexpected-windfall-from-the-irs/573329/1 "2011-03-03T08:54:14Z")
So I got my tax refund last week. I wasn’t expecting very much. Funny thing was, the check was for $400 more than I was expecting. _Exactly_ $400 more. I thought it was a lucky mistake but I cashed the check anyway, assuming that the IRS would eventually figure it out and ask for their money back but I may as well hold onto it just in case they didn’t notice. Well, today I got a letter in the mail from the IRS. I initially thought, “wow, they figured it out _fast_”. But it was one of those “we found an error on your tax form” letters and as it turns out the extra money was not a mistake at all. I missed the [Making Work Pay Tax Credit](http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204447,00.html) while filling out my 1040-EZ and they so kindly gave it to me anyway. Those folks down at the IRS sure are nice. Merry Christmas, guys! Now what to do with 400 shiny bucks I was never expecting to get… ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-wow-i-totally-missed-that-making-work-pay-credit-unexpected-windfall-from-the-irs/573329/2 "2011-03-03T14:34:17Z")
Interesting - they did that for me last year but warned that I was responsible for claiming it this year. I did claim it because, well, free money! Definitely something for people to watch out for when they’re doing their taxes this year, though. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-wow-i-totally-missed-that-making-work-pay-credit-unexpected-windfall-from-the-irs/573329/3 "2011-03-03T22:33:57Z")
That happened to me in the 80s with the Earned Income Credit when I was a young single mom. Funny how the IRS sends the explanatory letter _after_ you’ve already cashed the check. I, too, was wondering if it was a mistake, but I needed that money and figured if they wanted it back, well, good luck with that. 🙂