My sister dealt with this between California and Arizona. California especially is aggressive about claiming you as a resident if you have any ties there. She ended up having to document exactly how many days she spent in each state with a calendar she kept. Just something to keep in mind if you're dealing with states that both have income tax - they both want your money!

Based on your situation, you're actually in a pretty good spot tax-wise! Since Wyoming has no state income tax, you'll only need to file a Colorado resident return for all your income. The key things to address immediately: 1. **Fix your withholding ASAP** - Contact HR to update your address and start withholding Colorado state taxes (4.4% rate). Since you've been working there without withholding, you'll likely owe money at tax time. 2. **Track your work location** - Make sure all your work is being performed in Colorado. If you ever work remotely from Wyoming, that income would still be taxable to Colorado as a resident. 3. **Consider estimated payments** - Since you haven't been having Colorado taxes withheld, you might want to make quarterly estimated payments to avoid underpayment penalties. The weekend visits to Wyoming don't create any tax obligations since you're not earning income there and Wyoming doesn't tax income anyway. Just make sure Colorado is clearly your primary residence (voter registration, driver's license, etc.) to avoid any residency questions. You got lucky with the Wyoming/Colorado combo - this would be much more complicated with two states that both have income taxes!

Hey Sydney! I totally understand your confusion - I was in the exact same boat when I first started working after high school. The tax system definitely isn't intuitive, and they don't teach you this stuff in school! Just to clarify the basics: that federal withholding in Box 2 is essentially money your employer sent to the IRS throughout the year as estimated payments toward your tax bill. Whether you get it back depends on whether you overpaid or underpaid your actual tax liability. With your $24k income, you'll owe federal tax on roughly the amount over $13,850 (the 2023 standard deduction), so about $10k of your income will be taxable. If your employer withheld more than what you actually owe on that $10k, you get the difference back as a refund. The Social Security and Medicare taxes (FICA) are completely separate - those are fixed percentages that fund those specific programs and never come back as refunds, regardless of your income. That Social Security benefits question that stumped you is probably just asking whether anyone in your household receives SS benefits or if you might be claimed as a dependent on someone's return - it's routine screening that affects certain credits but isn't as complicated as it sounds. Getting professional help for your first return is honestly the smartest move! They'll sort out any complications and help you understand the process. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions during your appointment - understanding your first return will make future years so much easier. Good luck this weekend!

Sydney, your questions are so relatable! I was in almost the exact same situation when I filed my first tax return - fresh out of high school, working my first real job, and completely baffled by all those boxes on my W-2. Everyone has given you great explanations about how withholding works, but I wanted to add something that really helped me understand it: think of Box 2 as money you've already "lent" to the government throughout the year. At tax time, you calculate what you actually owe them, and if you lent them more than necessary, they pay you back the difference. At your income level around $24k, there's a really good chance you overpaid and will get a nice refund! The Social Security/Medicare stuff (FICA) that shows up in boxes 4 and 6 is different - that's like paying into a long-term savings account that you can't access until you retire or become disabled. It's not part of your income tax calculation at all. Your decision to get professional help is absolutely the right call! When I tried doing my taxes online that first year, I got so frustrated with all the confusing questions that I almost gave up entirely. Having someone walk you through it in person makes such a difference. One thing I wish I had known: don't be afraid to ask your tax preparer to explain anything that doesn't make sense. They're used to working with first-time filers and won't think your questions are silly. Understanding your first return will make you feel so much more confident about taxes going forward. Good luck with your weekend appointment!

i think my company screwed up my w4 too. is there a way to check if they entered everything correctly? I filled it out right but maybe they input it wrong in their system?

The zero withholding issue is really common with the new W4 form! Based on your situation (Head of Household with 2 dependents), here's what likely went wrong: Most people accidentally check the "exempt from withholding" box or mess up Step 3 where you enter dependent amounts. For your situation, you should have $4,000 in Step 3 if both kids are under 17 ($2,000 each). Quick action plan: 1. Get a new W4 from HR immediately 2. Step 1: Check "Head of household" 3. Step 3: Enter $4,000 (for 2 kids under 17) 4. Step 4(c): Add extra withholding to catch up - probably around $150-200 per paycheck depending on your income Since you've had zero withholding for several months already, you definitely need that extra amount in 4(c) to avoid owing next year. The IRS withholding calculator can help you figure out the exact catch-up amount, but don't wait - get that corrected W4 to HR this week! Your smaller refund this year was because you essentially got an interest-free loan from the government instead of having taxes withheld. Better to fix it now than get hit with a big bill next April.

To all those having trouble reaching a human at IRS. I just ran across this video that gave me a shortcut to reach a human. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

Hang in there! The 151 code after ID verification is actually pretty normal - it just means they're doing their final review now that they've confirmed you are who you say you are. The fact that you got the 766 code on the same day is actually a good sign that things are moving along. From what I've seen in this community, most people with your timeline (ID verification on 3/06) are seeing their refunds release within 2-4 weeks after the 151 appears. Keep checking your transcripts for updates and try not to stress too much - you're in the final stretch!

Don't forget to check if there's a totalization agreement between UAE and US for social security! It might not apply in your case, but it's worth checking. I got caught having to pay self-employment tax in the US even though I was working from Singapore because there was no totalization agreement. The W-8BEN doesn't cover social security taxes. Also, keep super detailed records of where you physically worked each day. If you ever visit the US for business, those days could potentially be considered US-sourced income and subject to different rules.

Great point about social security taxes! You're absolutely right that the UAE doesn't have a totalization agreement with the US, so this is definitely something to watch out for. As an independent contractor, you might still be subject to US self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes) even if your regular income isn't subject to withholding. The self-employment tax applies if you have net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more, and unfortunately, the foreign earned income exclusion doesn't apply to self-employment tax. However, since you're performing all services outside the US, you should generally not be subject to self-employment tax on that income. But here's the tricky part - if your US client treats you as a contractor and issues you a 1099, they might report payments to you to the IRS, which could trigger questions. Make sure your contract clearly establishes that you're providing services from outside the US and consider having the contract specify that you're operating under UAE jurisdiction. Document everything - flight records, lease agreements, utility bills - anything that proves your physical location during work periods. This becomes crucial if there's ever any dispute about where services were actually performed.