Tax refunded - What would you do?

You should file an amended return, not send a letter. The IRS has a form

How is it that this only affected your state tax and not your federal tax?

well, simply submit amended returns! (Isn't the fed. form 1040X ? available on-line

Your state probably did exactly as they should. Your letter likely did not meet the requirements of an amended return so it wasn't processed as one. The check was properly credited to your existing, non-amended return and when the state's computers noticed an apparent over-payment you were sent a refund.

The correct thing for you to do is to file a proper amended state return. After all, you do still owe the money. There is no point in filing a no tax change 1040X unless you hear from the Feds.

. With several hundred "users", the IRS can hardly respond to e-mails or whatever. Simply file amended tax returns ---the feds even provide a form for that. (1040X ??)

The FED tax was zero in both cases. Several factors: (A)Knowing that I would be taking the standard deduction in 2018, I prepaid paid an additional $22k of real estate taxes and $5k of state income taxes. I prepaid so many taxes that (on my original return) I did not even deduct the state income taxes. However, they were deducted on the amended return. (B) I had a $1400 foreign tax credit but I only used $120 on my original return and $1280 on the amended return.

This was a rare occurrence. Even though retired, I normally have a FED liability of $8k. As I normally pay about $24000 in real estate taxes but most of that will go to waste with the $10k limit this year, Trump's tax "cut" will actually cause my normal tax to increase to about $9k after the $26k standard deduction for seniors.

I'd file both state and Federal amended returns. As others have said, you must file the state amended return in order for the state to process it.

I'd file the Federal return because, eventually, they will notice the missing

-- Arthur Rubin, Brea, CA