Just wanted to share my experience from last year - I had the exact same confusion with my Honda financing! What helped me was looking at my loan documents more carefully. There's usually a section that breaks down the total amount financed, which includes the vehicle price, taxes, fees, and sometimes extended warranties or other add-ons. For TurboTax purposes, you want just the actual vehicle purchase price (not the total loan amount) and the sales tax you paid. The sales tax might be rolled into your loan, but it's still considered "paid" for tax purposes. My dealership actually had this broken out clearly on the purchase agreement - look for something called a "buyer's order" or "sales contract" that shows the vehicle price separate from taxes and fees. One thing that caught me off guard was that some dealerships include things like extended warranties or service packages in the financing, but those aren't part of the vehicle purchase price for tax reporting. Make sure you're only reporting the actual car price and applicable taxes/fees, not the total financed amount.

I went through this exact same situation when I bought my Toyota last year! The key thing to remember is that from a tax perspective, you "purchased" the car the moment you signed the papers and drove it home, regardless of how you're paying for it. Here's what I learned: Enter the full purchase price of the vehicle (before taxes and fees) and the sales tax you paid. This info should be on your purchase agreement or sales contract - look for line items that say something like "Vehicle Price: $X" and "Sales Tax: $Y". Don't include the loan interest, extended warranties, or other add-ons in the purchase price. Even if the sales tax was rolled into your financing, it still counts as "paid" for tax purposes. TurboTax uses this info to calculate whether itemizing deductions (which would include the sales tax) saves you more money than taking the standard deduction. In many cases, especially with the higher standard deduction amounts, you'll still end up taking the standard deduction anyway, but it's worth letting TurboTax do the math for you. If you can't find your paperwork, call your dealership - they should have copies of everything. The financing bank might also have these details in your loan documents.

Has anyone tried just showing up in person to get their W-2? I'm tempted to just walk into my old job and ask for it directly since they're ignoring my emails.

Just wanted to add another perspective from someone who dealt with this exact situation last year. I had 4 different employers in 2024 and left two of them on terrible terms (one was a toxic startup, the other had a manager who was stealing tips). Here's what worked for me: First, I gathered all my final pay stubs since they contain most of the info you need. Then I created a simple spreadsheet tracking each employer - company name, dates worked, HR contact info, payroll company if known, and whether I received the W-2 or not. For the jobs I left on good terms, I proactively emailed their HR departments in early January with my new address. For the toxic ones, I waited until after January 31st and then used the IRS complaint process when they didn't send my forms. One thing that really helped was checking if any of my former employers used third-party payroll companies like ADP or Paychex. Even after you're terminated, you can sometimes still access your W-2s through their employee portals using your old login credentials. Worth trying before dealing with your actual former employers! The key is being proactive and having multiple backup plans. Don't wait until the last minute to start chasing down these forms.

Could also be tax credits that changed from last year. Did you get the Earned Income Tax Credit last year maybe? Or any education credits? Sometimes you qualify one year but not the next even if your income doesn't change much.

Oh wow, that 401k withdrawal is definitely your culprit! I had a similar thing happen when I cashed out a small retirement account. Even though it was "only" $2000, it hit me with both regular income tax AND the 10% early withdrawal penalty. What probably happened is they withheld the standard 20% federal tax when you withdrew it (so $400), but that didn't cover your full tax liability. If you're in the 12% tax bracket, you'd owe about $240 in regular income tax on that $2000, PLUS the $200 penalty (10% of $2000) for early withdrawal. So you'd actually owe around $440 total, but only had $400 withheld - leaving you short. Combined with the withholding differences others mentioned from switching from two jobs to one, that easily explains why you went from getting a refund to owing money. The 401k withdrawal was probably the biggest factor though!

I just went through this same headache with my CP30 notice a few weeks ago! After trying the IRS website for hours, I ended up calling the practitioner priority line (I'm an enrolled agent) and the IRS rep confirmed the process that others have mentioned here. The key is going to irs.gov/payments, selecting "Pay Your Tax Bill," then "Direct Pay from Your Bank Account" to avoid fees. When you get to the payment details, select "Balance Due" and "Individual" as taxpayer type. Make sure the tax year matches your CP30 notice. For the "Apply Payment To" section, select "Estimated Tax" since CP30s are specifically for missed quarterly payments. Most importantly, put your full CP30 notice number in the comments field - this is crucial for proper application. One thing I learned that might help others: if you're paying close to the deadline, the IRS considers the payment submitted on the date you complete the transaction online, not when it processes from your bank account. So even if it takes 2-3 days to clear, you're covered as long as you submit before the due date on your notice. Keep your confirmation number safe! The IRS rep told me that's your proof of timely payment if there are any issues later.

I've been dealing with IRS notices for years and wanted to share a few additional tips that might help. First, if you're having trouble finding your CP30 notice number that others mentioned, it's typically in the upper right corner and will say something like "Notice CP30" followed by a date code. One thing I always do is take a screenshot or photo of the confirmation page after submitting payment - don't just rely on the confirmation number. The visual proof can be helpful if there are any disputes later. Also, if you're worried about timing and your due date is really tight, consider making the payment and then calling the IRS a few days later to confirm it was applied correctly. Yes, the hold times are brutal, but it's worth the peace of mind to verify everything went through properly, especially if you're close to additional penalty deadlines. The Direct Pay option really is the way to go - no fees and it's considered submitted immediately even though it takes a few days to process from your bank account.

Had to do this verification myself a few months ago - definitely go with the ID.me online option! I made the mistake of trying to call the hotline first and was on hold for literally 3 hours before giving up. The online verification took maybe 20 minutes including the wait time. Just make sure you have all your documents ready (driver's license, SSN, etc.) and use a decent camera. After I verified, it took about 8 weeks to get my refund but at least the process got moving. Way better than trying to get an in-person appointment which was booking out like 6 weeks when I checked.

I went through this exact same thing earlier this year! Definitely do the ID.me verification online - it's way faster than trying to get an appointment at a TAC office. I had some issues with the facial recognition at first (make sure you're in really good lighting and remove any glasses), but once I got it working the whole process took maybe 30 minutes. After verification, my transcript updated within a week showing the hold was released, and I got my refund about 9 weeks later. Just be patient - I know it's frustrating but the online route is definitely your best bet for getting this resolved quickly!