Your confusion about the tax calculations is totally understandable - the relationship between 401k contributions and withholding can be really tricky to wrap your head around at first! The key thing to remember is that your payroll system doesn't just multiply your reduced income by your marginal tax rate. Instead, it's trying to estimate what your total annual tax liability will be, then spread that across all your paychecks. So when you contribute $580 to your 401k, the system calculates: 1. Your projected annual salary ($14,500 × 26 pay periods = $377,000) 2. Subtracts your annual 401k contributions ($580 × 26 = $15,080) 3. Applies the standard deduction (~$13,850 for 2023) 4. Runs this through the progressive tax brackets (10%, 12%, 22%, etc.) 5. Divides the result by your pay periods This is why you're seeing $2,225 in federal withholding instead of the $3,062 you calculated. The withholding system accounts for the fact that not all of your income is taxed at 22% - some is taxed at 10%, some at 12%, etc. For your signing bonus situation, definitely set aside about 25-30% for taxes since nothing was withheld. You might also want to make an estimated tax payment to avoid underpayment penalties. The IRS generally expects you to pay taxes throughout the year, not just at filing time. If you bump your 401k to 20%, you'd contribute about $2,900 per paycheck instead of $580. This would save you roughly $510 in federal taxes per paycheck (22% of the additional $2,320), so your take-home would only drop by about $1,810 instead of the full $2,320.

This is such a common confusion for new employees! I went through the exact same thing when I started my career. The withholding system is designed to be "smart" about estimating your annual tax situation, which is why the math doesn't work out to simply multiplying by your marginal rate. A few key points that might help: 1. **Your signing bonus tax situation**: Since no federal taxes were withheld on that $68,500, you'll definitely owe taxes on it. At your income level, most of it will likely be taxed at 22%, so setting aside around $15,000-$17,000 would be prudent. Don't wait until tax season - consider making a quarterly estimated payment. 2. **Why your regular paycheck withholding seems low**: The payroll system is annualizing your income and then accounting for the standard deduction (~$13,850) plus the progressive tax structure. So it's not just taking 22% of your taxable income - it's applying 10% to the first chunk, 12% to the next chunk, and so on. 3. **401k impact**: Every dollar you contribute saves you taxes at your marginal rate. So if you bump to 20% contribution ($2,900 vs $580), you'd save about $510 in federal taxes per paycheck, meaning your take-home only drops by ~$1,810 instead of the full $2,320. The employer match is free money - definitely keep contributing at least enough to get the full match! And consider bumping it higher if you can afford it, especially while you're young and have time for compound growth.

I went through something very similar with PayUSATax two years ago and it was incredibly stressful! The website confirmation system is definitely buggy, but here's what I learned from my experience: Your payment most likely DID go through despite not seeing the confirmation page. This is actually a known issue with their system - the payment processing happens on the backend even when the frontend confirmation fails. Here's what I'd suggest in order of priority: 1. **Check your email** (including spam) over the next 24-48 hours. PayUSATax confirmation emails are often delayed but they do eventually come through. 2. **Monitor your bank account** starting tomorrow. Look for any pending or posted transactions from "PayUSATax," "IRS Payment," or similar. This will show up before the IRS systems update. 3. **Call PayUSATax directly** at 1-844-729-8298 on Monday morning. Have your SSN, payment amount ($57), and the approximate time you made the payment ready. Their phone support can immediately tell you if the payment was processed. 4. **Don't make a second payment** until you've confirmed the first one didn't go through - you'd have to go through a lengthy refund process with the IRS if you pay twice. The fact that you got to the review page and clicked confirm is a good sign - most people who have this issue find out their payment was successful. Try not to worry too much over the weekend, and definitely don't assume your banking info was compromised. PayUSATax is legitimate, their website is just terrible! Keep us posted on what you find out - I'm sure other people will have this same issue this tax season.

I can totally relate to this PayUSATax nightmare! I had almost the identical experience last year - got all the way to the confirmation step, clicked the button, and then... nothing. Just dumped back to the homepage with no receipt or confirmation number. Like others have mentioned, your payment almost certainly went through despite the website glitch. Here's what I did that might help you feel more confident: **Immediate steps:** - Check your bank account daily starting tomorrow for any pending charges from PayUSATax/IRS Payment - Set up account alerts on your bank account if you haven't already - you'll get notified the moment any transaction posts - Save/screenshot the PayUSATax transaction details page if you can still access it through your browser history **If you don't see anything by Wednesday:** Call PayUSATax at 1-844-729-8298. I called them last year and despite their terrible website, the phone rep was actually helpful. She confirmed my payment had processed within about 2 minutes of looking up my info. **Backup plan:** If for some reason the payment truly didn't go through, you can use the IRS Direct Pay system as others mentioned. It's much more reliable and gives you immediate confirmation. The silver lining is that even if there was an issue, you're still well ahead of the April 15th deadline, so you have time to sort it out without penalties. Try not to stress too much this weekend - Monday you'll have definitive answers!

Don't forget to look at your state tax rules too! In my state (Virginia), the rules for who can be claimed as a dependent follow federal rules, but the tax benefits can be different. My daughter works part-time while in college, and I claim her federally, but there's a special deduction in our state that she can claim on her state return even while being my dependent.

Just want to emphasize something that might save you stress later - make sure you and your dad are on the same page about who's claiming you BEFORE you both file. If you accidentally file as independent and your dad also claims you as his dependent, the IRS will send notices to both of you asking for documentation to prove who has the right to claim the exemption. This happened to my friend last year and it delayed both of their refunds by months while they sorted it out. The IRS basically freezes both returns until you provide proof of support. Since your dad is paying tuition and most expenses, he should definitely claim you, but just coordinate so you both file consistently from the start. Also, even though you're filing as a dependent, you might still be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit if your income is low enough, which could increase your refund beyond just getting back withheld taxes.

Venmo processes IRS deposits differently than regular payroll. Tax refunds typically post between 8pm-1am because they're batched separately from standard direct deposits. This is normal and doesn't indicate any problem with your refund. Just be aware that Venmo may also hold larger deposits for 1-3 business days for security purposes, especially if it's significantly larger than your usual deposit amounts. The IRS considers a deposit completed once they've sent it, even if Venmo hasn't made it available to you yet.

I've been using Venmo for tax refunds for 3 years now and can confirm the timing is totally different from regular payroll! My work deposits hit around 2am, but IRS refunds through Venmo consistently arrive between 10pm-12am. It's frustrating because you're expecting it all day and then BAM - it shows up right when you're getting ready for bed 😴 The good news is once it hits, it's immediately available (unlike some banks that make you wait until the next business day). Pro tip: turn on Venmo notifications so you don't have to keep checking manually!

Don't forget to sign and date each return! I mailed in my 2022 return last year and got it returned to me 2 months later because I forgot to sign it. Such a stupid mistake but it delayed everything. And make sure to use the correct address for where you're supposed to mail prior year returns - it's different depending on your state.

Just wanted to add another important tip - when you print your W-2s from the IRS website, make sure you're printing them at 100% scale (not "fit to page"). The IRS can be picky about document formatting, and if the forms are shrunk down or stretched, it might cause processing delays. Also, if you have any 1099 forms (for contract work, interest, etc.), you can get those from your IRS transcript too and print them the same way. The key is making sure everything is legible and matches the official format exactly. I'd recommend doing a test print on regular paper first to check the formatting before printing your final copies on good quality paper.