Great question! I went through this exact same confusion when I started my current job. "FED MWT EE" stands for Federal Medicare Withholding Tax - Employee, which is the Medicare portion of your FICA taxes. This is separate from your regular federal income tax withholding. Medicare tax is a flat 1.45% of your gross wages (regardless of how much you make), so it should be a consistent percentage on each paycheck. If you make over $200,000 per year, there's an additional 0.9% Medicare tax, but for most people it's just the standard 1.45%. You should see this listed separately from your regular federal income tax withholding on your paystub. Different payroll systems use different abbreviations - some might show it as "Medicare," "FICA Med," or "MED" instead of "FED MWT EE." This is totally normal and required by law, so don't worry about it being an extra or unexpected deduction. Every employer has to withhold this for Medicare funding.

I went through this exact same confusion when I started my first corporate job! "FED MWT EE" stands for "Federal Withholding Tax - Employee" - it's just your regular federal income tax that gets withheld from each paycheck and sent to the IRS. What threw me off initially was that my previous part-time jobs either didn't withhold much (because I made so little) or used completely different abbreviations. It's totally normal to see variations like "Fed Tax," "FIT," "Federal W/H," or "Fed Withholding" depending on which payroll company your employer uses. The amount seems like a big chunk because federal income tax rates are progressive - the more you earn, the higher percentage gets withheld. If this is a step up in salary from previous jobs, that would explain why it feels like a lot more than you're used to seeing. Don't stress about it being "wrong" - this is completely standard and required by law. Just make sure you also see separate line items for Social Security and Medicare taxes (usually labeled something like "FICA SS" and "FICA Med"), which are different from this federal income tax withholding.

I'm going through the exact same situation! Filed my Form 843 back in December for FICA taxes that were incorrectly withheld from my graduate teaching assistantship. The university's payroll system didn't recognize my student exemption and withheld about $1,850 in FICA taxes that I shouldn't owe as a qualified student. I'm now at about 6 months with absolutely no communication from the IRS, which has been incredibly stressful. Like everyone else here, I've been checking my online account transcripts monthly but there's zero indication that Form 843 processing even exists in their system. I've also tried calling the IRS customer service line multiple times but always end up giving up after hours on hold. Reading through all these experiences has been both reassuring and maddening - reassuring to know that 6-9 month waits seem to be completely normal right now regardless of how straightforward the case is, but maddening to realize there's essentially no way to track progress or get updates during this entire period. The lack of transparency compared to regular tax refunds is really frustrating. Based on all the recommendations here, I think I'm finally at the point where I should contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service. It's encouraging to see that several people have had success getting their cases expedited through that route, especially for student-related exemptions where the tax rules can be pretty complex. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines - it really helps to know this massive delay is a systemic processing issue rather than something wrong with my specific case. Hopefully we'll all see our refunds soon!

I'm also going through this exact same frustrating process! Filed my Form 843 in late January for FICA taxes that were incorrectly withheld from my freelance consulting work. My client's payroll department mistakenly processed me as a W-2 employee when I should have been issued a 1099 as an independent contractor, resulting in about $2,200 in incorrect FICA withholding. It's been about 4.5 months now with complete radio silence from the IRS, and like everyone else here, the lack of any tracking system is absolutely maddening. I've been checking my online transcripts monthly hoping to see some indication of progress, but there's literally nothing there about Form 843 processing. I've tried calling the IRS three times but always give up after waiting on hold for 2+ hours without reaching anyone. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly eye-opening - it's both reassuring and frustrating to see that 6-9 month processing times are unfortunately the norm across all types of FICA refund situations. Whether it's contractor misclassification, student exemptions, fellowship stipends, or ministerial exemptions, everyone seems to be hitting the same processing wall with zero visibility. What really strikes me is how consistent the timeline is regardless of the refund amount or complexity of the case. It seems like this is purely a capacity/backlog issue at the IRS rather than anything specific to individual situations. I'm definitely planning to contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service once I hit that 6-month mark based on all the positive experiences shared here. It's encouraging to know they have access to internal systems that can actually provide real information about case status and potentially expedite claims that have been stuck too long. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and experiences - this thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding what to expect and knowing I'm not alone in this frustrating process!

Has anyone else noticed that ALL the tax sites seem to crash more often nowadays? I remember when you could file without all these technical glitches. Last year TaxAct kept logging me out mid-session and I lost data twice. This year I'm trying Free Tax USA and having similar issues.

I experienced something similar with Free Tax USA last month! The site was completely unresponsive for about 2 days, but everything was still processing normally on their end. What really helped me was calling their support line at 1-800-585-1040 early in the morning (around 7 AM) when wait times were shorter. The customer service rep was able to confirm my payment schedule and even sent me a new email confirmation while I was on the phone. They explained that when their website goes down, it's usually just the front-end interface - all the backend payment processing and IRS submissions continue to work normally. Also, if you're really stressed about the payment timing, you can always make a manual payment directly to the IRS using their Direct Pay system as a backup. That way you know for certain your payment went through, and if Free Tax USA's automatic payment also processes, the IRS will just send you a refund for the overpayment.

Same thing happened to me! They took $3,800 from my refund for old student loans and I was counting on that money for rent 😤 The crazy thing is I called the IRS first thinking it was some kind of mistake, but they told me it was the Department of Education who took it. Turns out there's a whole Treasury Offset Program that handles this stuff. What really helped me was getting on a Direct Loan Rehabilitation program - you make 9 on-time payments (mine were only $50/month based on my income) and then your loans come out of default AND they can't offset future refunds. It doesn't get your current refund back but at least protects next year's. Also found out that if you're really struggling financially, you can sometimes get a hardship deferment or forbearance while you're going through the rehab process. Don't give up - there are definitely options to get back on track! 💯

This whole situation is so frustrating but you're definitely not alone! They took about $2,300 from my refund this year for loans that went into default during COVID. Like many others here, I never got proper notice either. What I've learned from this thread and my own experience is that even though the money's gone for this year, there are still ways to protect future refunds. The loan rehabilitation programs people are mentioning actually work - I'm starting one next month where I'll pay based on my income (probably around $75/month) and after 9 payments, no more offsets! Also definitely worth calling that Default Resolution Group number someone posted. The key is acting now before next tax season. Hang in there, it really does get better once you know your options! 💙

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My "As Of" date just changed from May 22 to June 5 yesterday and I've been refreshing my transcript obsessively trying to understand what it means. Filed in February like so many others here and still waiting - the anxiety is real when you're depending on that money for overdue bills. This thread has been incredibly reassuring though! It's wild to see how many February filers are experiencing identical situations with these date changes. I was starting to think my return got lost in some IRS black hole, but reading everyone's experiences makes it clear this is just the unfortunate normal for this year's processing delays. Based on what everyone's sharing, it sounds like these "As Of" date changes are actually signs that the IRS is actively working on our accounts rather than something being wrong. I've been that person checking my transcript probably 20 times a day hoping for some magical update 😅 but now I know to focus on watching for those important transaction codes (570, 571, 846) instead of just panicking over date shifts. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you've been counting on that refund for months, but knowing we're all in this together definitely helps! Hopefully we February filers will start seeing some real movement soon 🤞

I'm dealing with this exact same situation! My "As Of" date just changed from May 7 to May 21 this morning and I've been frantically searching for answers. Filed in February like everyone else here and still waiting on my refund - the stress is overwhelming when you're counting on that money for rent and utilities. Reading through all these comments has been so helpful and reassuring though! It's incredible to see how many February filers are going through identical experiences with these mysterious date changes. I was starting to panic that something was seriously wrong with my return, but it sounds like these changes are actually pretty normal during processing and might even indicate the IRS is actively working on our accounts. I've definitely been guilty of checking my transcript way too often (probably 10+ times a day 😅) hoping for some kind of breakthrough. But now I understand I should focus on watching for those specific transaction codes everyone keeps mentioning - 570, 571, and especially that golden 846 code. The waiting game is absolutely brutal when you've been budgeting around that refund, but knowing so many of us are in the same boat makes it feel less isolating. Thanks for posting this OP - sometimes just knowing you're not alone in the stress makes all the difference! Hopefully we'll all see some real movement soon 🤞