Tax Return vs. Tax Refund vs. Tax Rebate

Now that tax season is in full swing, many personal finance bloggers are delving into the field of taxation to offer tips on how to save money. And as long as they get their facts straight, that’s great. I’m all for people saving money on taxes.

But one thing that absolutely drives me up a wall is when people (at least, people who are putting themselves forth as knowledgeable about taxation) confuse the terms “return” and “refund.”

It’s simple really:

Your tax return is the paperwork that you fill out and send in to the IRS.

Your refund is the check that you get back from the IRS.

And remember those checks that we received in early 2008 in an attempt to stimulate the economy? Those were rebates.

There. Now at least we’ll all sound like we know what we’re talking about. 🙂