The whole process is so frustrating. I was in the same boat last year and absolutely could not get a straight answer from anyone. Ended up spending hours on forums trying to piece together what was happening. This year I used taxr.ai before filing and it helped me avoid all the headaches - showed me potential flags that could delay my return and explained the whole process super clearly. Highly recommend for anyone who hates this annual guessing game with the IRS. https://taxr.ai

Hey Kyle! I went through this exact same thing with REFUNDO last year and it was so stressful. The 3/14 date you see on your transcript is when the IRS sent the money to REFUNDO, not when REFUNDO sends it to your bank. They have to process it on their end first which typically takes 3-7 business days depending on how busy they are. Since 3/14 was Thursday and we just had a weekend, you're really only about 1-2 business days "late" right now. I'd give it until Wednesday before calling their customer service line. My refund showed up on day 4 after my DDD last year. The waiting is the worst part but it should come through soon!

Quick tip from someone who messed this up their first job: you can always submit a new W-4 later in the year if you realize you made a mistake! I filled mine out wrong and was having wayyy too much withheld from each check. Fixed it in July and had proper withholding for the rest of the year.

Hey Omar! Congrats on landing your first job! 🎉 Since you mentioned you're 22, single, and this is your only job with no dependents, you're actually in one of the simplest W-4 situations. Here's what I'd recommend: 1. **Fill out Step 1** with your basic info (name, address, SSN, filing status as "Single") 2. **Skip Steps 2-4** entirely since you only have one job and no dependents 3. **Sign and date Step 5** That's it! This will give you standard withholding that should be pretty close to what you'll owe. You might get a small refund or owe a little, but nothing dramatic. One thing to watch for: when you get your first few paychecks, look at how much federal tax is being withheld. It should be roughly 12-15% of your gross pay for your income level. If it seems way off, you can always submit a new W-4 to adjust it. The IRS also has a withholding calculator on their website (irs.gov) that you can use mid-year to check if you're on track. Don't stress too much - you've got this! And remember, you can always adjust later if needed.

Don't forget there's a social security and Medicare impact too, not just income tax! Since med premiums should have been pre-tax, employees also overpaid on FICA taxes. Your company likely also overpaid the employer portion of these taxes. You should file a Form 941-X for each affected quarter to get your employer portion refunded, and the W-2c process will help employees get their overpaid portion back. Some payroll systems can help you calculate exactly how much was overpaid by each party.

This is a really tough situation, but you're handling it responsibly by trying to make it right for your employees. I went through something similar when our previous payroll company miscoded our dependent care FSA contributions. One thing I'd add to the great advice already shared - consider sending a clear, simple letter to all affected employees along with their W-2c forms explaining exactly what happened, what it means for them, and what their options are. We found that many employees were initially confused or even worried when they received corrected tax documents, thinking they had done something wrong. In our letter, we included a simple table showing "If your original refund was X and your corrected refund would be Y, your additional refund would be Z." This helped employees quickly see if filing an amendment would be worthwhile for their situation. We also set up a dedicated email address and phone line for questions about the correction, which really helped reduce confusion and showed employees we were taking ownership of the mistake. The transparency went a long way toward maintaining trust with our staff. Given your industry and the timing, you might also want to consider offering to reimburse filing fees for amendments over a certain threshold (like $200 in additional refund) to make the decision easier for employees who would benefit most from filing.

I've also seen the discrepancy, but the thread so far seems to be suggesting that the W-4R will calculate a higher withholding than you'll actually pay. I see the opposite. For example, for MFJ, W-4R would withhold $0 on $30,000, but the tax table would withhold "$2,385 plus 12% of the excess over $23,850". The only other difference that I see, which may be important, is that W-4R is using Total income values, while the tax tables use Taxable Income. So perhaps they are building in some assumptions about using the standard deduction.

Great discussion everyone! I'm a CPA who specializes in retirement planning, and I wanted to add some clarity to this confusion about W-4R vs. published tax rates. The root issue is that these serve completely different purposes: 1. **W-4R withholding tables** are designed for payroll systems to automatically calculate withholding without knowing your complete tax situation. They make assumptions about filing status, other income, and deductions. 2. **Published marginal tax rates** show the actual tax brackets that apply to your taxable income when you file your return. The W-4R tables can either over-withhold OR under-withhold depending on your situation, as Vic correctly pointed out. For smaller distributions, they often under-withhold because they assume standard deductions will significantly reduce your taxable income. For larger distributions, they typically over-withhold because they project that amount as if it were your annual income. My recommendation: Calculate your expected total taxable income for the year (including the distribution), determine your actual marginal rate from the IRS tax tables, then add 2-3% as a safety buffer when submitting your custom W-4R. This approach avoids both underwithholding penalties and excessive overwithholding. The key is understanding that withholding is just an estimate - your actual tax liability is always calculated using the published tax brackets when you file your return.

Has anyone dealt with this issue with a multi-member LLC that had no activity? Same situation basically but our LLC had 3 partners yet zero transactions ever. Do we need to file any partnership returns?

Just wanted to share my experience with a similar situation. I had an LLC that I formed but never used for about 4 years. When I finally decided to dissolve it, I discovered a few things that might help you: 1. Federal level: Since you had zero activity, you likely don't need to file any federal tax returns. However, if you obtained an EIN, it's good practice to send a letter to the IRS notifying them you're closing the business. 2. State level: This is where it gets tricky. Most states require annual reports and franchise taxes regardless of activity. I ended up owing about $2,000 in back fees and penalties to my state just for having an active LLC registration. 3. Check if your LLC was administratively dissolved: Some states automatically dissolve LLCs that don't file required reports for a certain period. You might want to check your state's business entity database to see your LLC's current status. My advice would be to contact your state's Secretary of State office first to understand your specific obligations before proceeding with dissolution. Each state has different rules and penalties for inactive businesses.