I went through almost the identical situation with my employer last year! The "select single even though you're married" thing is unfortunately common with older payroll systems that haven't properly updated for the 2020 W-4 changes. Here's what worked for me: I printed out the official IRS W-4 form from irs.gov, filled it out correctly as "married filing jointly" and checked the box in Step 2(c) for two earners, then hand-delivered it to HR with a note saying "Please process this official IRS form as submitted." When they pushed back, I politely but firmly told them that forcing employees to select incorrect filing statuses violates IRS guidelines. The $212 withholding actually might be close to correct given your combined income. With you making $65k total and your husband making $27k, you're looking at roughly $92k household income, which puts you in a higher bracket than what standard withholding tables assume for individual jobs. Don't panic about the underwithholding so far, but definitely address it soon. I'd recommend using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to see exactly where you stand for the year, then either increase his withholding even more for the remaining pay periods OR make an estimated tax payment using Form 1040-ES. The next estimated payment deadline is June 15th, but you can pay anytime online through IRS Direct Pay. You've got this - it's frustrating but totally fixable!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this mess - Target's payroll issues are unfortunately becoming notorious in tax communities. As someone who just went through a similar nightmare with my employer, I wanted to share what finally worked for me. First, absolutely do NOT let them force you to select "single" when you're married. This is completely wrong and will create ongoing tax problems. The real issue is that Target's payroll system hasn't been properly updated for the 2020 W-4 changes, so they're giving employees bad workarounds instead of fixing their software. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. **Print the official IRS W-4 form** from irs.gov and fill it out correctly as "married filing jointly" 2. **Check the box in Step 2(c)** since you both work - this is crucial for dual-income households 3. **Hand-deliver it to HR** with a note requesting they process the official IRS form as submitted The $212 withholding might actually be closer to correct than you think. With your combined ~$92k income, you're probably looking at $7,000-8,000 in total federal taxes for the year. Having only $31 withheld so far means you're thousands of dollars behind. I'd strongly suggest using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator online to see exactly where you stand, then consider making an estimated tax payment using Form 1040-ES before the June 15th deadline to avoid underpayment penalties. Document everything with HR - dates, conversations, who told you what. If this creates problems at tax time, you'll want that paper trail showing you tried to submit correct information but were given bad advice by your employer. You can get through this, but act quickly to avoid bigger problems next April!

I completely feel your pain on this! Just went through the exact same situation in February and it was such a stressful process. Here's what I wish someone had told me from the start: DEFINITELY call the number on your letter before you schedule any appointment! Even though your letter says to schedule an appointment, you might still qualify for ID.me online verification. I wasted two weeks stressing about coordinating an in-person visit before I found out I could do it online. Call right at 7 AM when they open - that's your best shot at getting through. Have your SSN, the letter, and a copy of your return ready. Ask specifically: "Am I eligible for online identity verification through ID.me?" If you do qualify for online verification: - Both you and your husband will need to complete it separately since you filed jointly - You can do it on your own devices from home - Takes about 15-20 minutes each - SO much better than taking time off work! If you must go in person, unfortunately yes - both spouses are required for joint returns. The IRS is super strict about this and won't make exceptions. The good news is once you complete verification (online or in-person), your refund usually processes within 2-3 weeks. I know it's incredibly frustrating, but you're almost through the worst part! The online option saved my sanity - hopefully it's available for you too! 🤞

I went through this EXACT situation just last month and I totally understand your frustration! Here's what ended up working for me: First - before you resign yourself to that dreaded in-person appointment, definitely call the number on your letter and ask specifically about ID.me online verification eligibility. I made the mistake of assuming I had to go in person just because that's what the letter emphasized, but it turns out I qualified for online verification! The key is calling RIGHT when they open at 7 AM - I had to redial about 20 times but finally got through. Have your SSN, the verification letter, and your tax return handy when you call. If you do qualify for ID.me (fingers crossed!): - Both you and your husband will need to complete it since you filed jointly - You can do it separately on your own devices from home - Takes about 15-20 minutes each - Uses facial recognition and document scanning - pretty straightforward If online isn't an option, then unfortunately yes - both spouses absolutely must attend the in-person appointment for joint returns. The IRS is very strict about this requirement and won't make exceptions. For what it's worth, once you complete the verification (whether online or in-person), your refund typically processes within 2-3 weeks. I know this whole process is incredibly frustrating, but you're so close to being done with it! The ID.me option saved me hours of hassle - really hoping it's available for you too! 🤞

I've been dealing with this same error 428 issue for about a week now! It's so frustrating because I filed my return almost 3 weeks ago and just want to see if there's any progress. I've tried accessing the Where's My Refund tool at different times - early morning, late evening, even middle of the night - but I keep getting that same "We are sorry Where's My Refund is currently unavailable. Please try Where's My Refund again later. 428" message on sa.www4.irs.gov. What's really annoying is that the form is right there asking for SSN, tax year, filing status, and refund amount, but you can't even get past the error to enter anything. I've tried on my laptop, phone, and even my tablet thinking maybe it was a device issue, but nope - same error across everything. At least I know from reading these comments that it's not just me or something I'm doing wrong. This seems like a major system issue on the IRS side that's affecting tons of people during peak tax season. Really hoping they get their servers fixed soon because I'm starting to worry about whether my return was even processed properly! 😤

Hey everyone! New member here but unfortunately joining for the same frustrating reason as many of you - I've been battling error 428 on the IRS Where's My Refund tool for about 6 days now. Filed my return 3 weeks ago and this is my first attempt to check status, so naturally I'm getting worried! I've tried everything mentioned here - different devices, browsers, times of day (including that 3-5am window someone suggested), clearing cache, even tried my neighbor's wifi thinking it might be my internet connection. Same exact error message every single time on sa.www4.irs.gov: "We are sorry Where's My Refund is currently unavailable. Please try Where's My Refund again later. 428" What's really frustrating is seeing that form with all the required fields (SSN, tax year, filing status, refund amount) but not being able to get past the error to actually input anything. It's clearly a widespread server issue during peak tax season when we all need this service most. At least finding this community and seeing all your similar experiences confirms I'm not going crazy and didn't mess up my filing somehow! Hoping the IRS gets their act together soon because this is ridiculous timing for such a critical system to be down. Fingers crossed we all get through soon! 🤞

Had this exact same issue a few months back and it was maddening! Here's what finally got me through: First, definitely try that phone number Oliver mentioned but call right at 8am EST when they open - I got through in about 20 minutes vs the 3+ hour waits later in the day. Second, while you're waiting for ID.me to sort itself out, you can still get your transcripts other ways. The IRS2Go mobile app lets you check basic refund status without ID.me, and you can request transcripts by mail using Form 4506-T (just takes about a week). Also, if you're on Twitter/X, try messaging @IDmeSupport - their social media team actually responds way faster than email support. Hang in there, it's frustrating but you'll get through it! 🤞

Ugh, I feel you on this! ID.me suspended my account last year right when I needed to file an extension. What finally worked was a combo approach: I called their phone support at exactly 8am EST (way shorter wait), AND I also submitted a complaint through the IRS website about being unable to access my account. The IRS complaint seemed to light a fire under ID.me because they called me back within 24 hours to resolve it. Also, while you wait, you can still check your basic refund status using the "Where's My Refund" tool on irs.gov without needing ID.me - just need your SSN, filing status, and refund amount. Hope this helps!

As a newcomer to this community, I have to say this thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I'm currently in the early stages of preparing my own PTIN application as a foreign national from the UK, and the level of detail and real-world experience shared here has been invaluable. What strikes me most is how consistent the issues seem to be across different countries - incorrect notarization, missing apostilles, and inadequate translations appear to be the main culprits for rejections. It's clear that the IRS is very strict about these requirements, but the rejection letters don't always provide the specific guidance needed to fix the problems. I'm particularly grateful for the cost breakdowns and timeline estimates various members have shared. Knowing that I should budget around £40-60 for notarization, £10-15 for apostille, and £80-120 for certified translation helps me plan financially. The 9-12 week total timeline (including document preparation) is also crucial for planning when to start this process. For other UK nationals who might be reading this, I plan to: 1. Use a UK solicitor or certified notary public for the passport notarization 2. Get the apostille through the FCO Legalisation Office 3. Have any non-English text translated by a certified translator registered with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting The services mentioned like Claimyr for reaching the IRS and taxr.ai for document analysis seem like they could be really helpful too, especially given how specific these requirements are. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences - this community support makes navigating these complex requirements so much more manageable!

As a newcomer to this community who's also dealing with PTIN application challenges as a foreign national (from Mexico), I wanted to add my recent experience to this incredibly helpful thread. I just went through my first rejection last month and found many of the same issues you all have described. What's particularly frustrating is that the rejection letter was quite vague - it just said "documents not properly notarized by foreign notary" without explaining what specifically was wrong. After reading through this discussion, I realized I made several mistakes: 1. I used a regular "notario público" instead of understanding I needed a more formal notarization 2. I completely missed the apostille requirement (had never heard of this before!) 3. I didn't get my Spanish text portions translated Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm now planning to: - Get my passport notarized by a "Notario Público" with proper credentials in Mexico - Obtain an apostille from the "Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores" - Have certified translations done for the Spanish portions - Use the cover letter approach @Callum Savage mentioned - Send everything via certified mail with tracking The timeline and cost information shared here has been invaluable for planning. It looks like I should budget around 2,500-3,000 pesos total and allow 8-10 weeks for the complete process. Thank you all for sharing such detailed experiences - this thread should be pinned as a resource for foreign nationals! The community support here makes navigating these complex requirements so much more manageable.