Refundable credits mean that you are entitled to a refund if the amount of the credit exceeds your own tax liability.

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If the state where you work has higher taxes than the state where you live, the credit will likely be less than the amount of tax that you pay as a non-resident.

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Though this is shocking to some at first, it is not as onerous as it sounds because a credit is allowed to offset the amount of non-US tax that has been paid.

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