Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but you should file Form 3949-A with the IRS to report your employer for suspected tax fraud. Not filing W-2s for multiple employees over multiple years is almost certainly intentional - they were probably pocketing the tax money they withheld from your paychecks. That's theft!

This is a serious red flag situation that you need to handle carefully. As others have mentioned, the POA request is highly suspicious - there's no legitimate reason a company's CPA would need power of attorney from you to fix their own filing obligations. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. **Document everything** - Save all communications with the CPA, keep copies of your pay stubs, W-2s, and the IRS notice 2. **Get your transcripts** - Request both Wage & Income and Account transcripts from the IRS online for all affected years 3. **Don't sign anything** - Absolutely do not give them POA or sign any documents The fact that this spans multiple years and involves withholding 45% from your severance suggests they may have been mismanaging payroll taxes for a long time. If they withheld taxes from your pay but never remitted them to the IRS, that's essentially theft. You might also want to check if other former employees are having similar issues - if this is affecting multiple people, it strengthens the case for deliberate non-compliance rather than an administrative error. Consider consulting with your own tax professional who can help you navigate this without any conflicts of interest. The company's CPA is looking out for the company, not for you.

Call the tax advocate service! Sometimes they can see stuff we cant on our transcripts

Same thing happened to me last month! Had an update with no new codes and was freaking out. Turns out it was just the system doing an internal review. Two weeks later I got my 846 code and DDD. Don't lose hope - sometimes these mystery updates are actually a good sign that they're still processing your return! 🤞

Check your 2023 Account transcript too. Sometimes updates show there first before your return transcript changes.

I'm experiencing the exact same thing! My as-of date updated yesterday but zero movement on any codes or processing. Filed 1/27 and it's been radio silence since acceptance. The waiting game is brutal when you're depending on that refund. Has anyone noticed if there's a pattern to when they actually start processing after the as-of date changes?

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! As someone who's always tried to be meticulous about tax compliance, I never realized how complex this particular area of tax law could be. What strikes me most is how this creates a situation where the most law-abiding response (reporting all income) could potentially create the most legal jeopardy. It's like the tax code is forcing people into a game of legal chess where every move has potential consequences. I'm wondering about the practical side of this - if someone were to report income using those vague categories like "consulting" or "other income" that people have mentioned, does the IRS ever follow up asking for more specific documentation? Like, do they ever request invoices or contracts for that "consulting" work? It seems like there would be a natural tension between satisfying the reporting requirement and avoiding self-incrimination. The Fifth Amendment protection is interesting in theory, but I imagine in practice it gets pretty murky when you're trying to file accurate tax returns without providing details that could be used against you later. This whole discussion really highlights how much more complicated tax compliance can be than most people realize. Thanks to everyone who shared examples and insights - this has definitely given me a lot to think about regarding how tax policy intersects with criminal law.

This is honestly one of the most educational threads I've read on here! As someone who does freelance work and sometimes gets paid in cash, I never realized how complex the reporting requirements could get for "non-traditional" income sources. What really fascinates me is how this whole system seems to create a weird parallel between tax compliance and criminal justice. Like, the IRS essentially becomes this backup enforcement mechanism when traditional law enforcement can't make other charges stick. It's brilliant from a law enforcement perspective, but creates such a moral and legal maze for individuals. Reading through all these examples and scenarios, it seems like the key takeaway is that the tax code doesn't really care about the legality of your income source - it just wants its cut. But then you're left navigating this impossible balance between legal compliance and potential self-incrimination. I'm curious - for people who are in legitimately gray areas (like some cryptocurrency transactions or cash-based businesses that operate in legal but poorly defined spaces), do the same principles apply? It seems like this could affect way more people than just those involved in clearly illegal activities. The tools and services people have mentioned in this thread (like the AI tax advisor and the IRS callback service) seem really useful for navigating these complex situations without having to have awkward conversations with traditional tax preparers about hypothetical scenarios!

Ugh, I feel your pain! Same thing happened to me last year - the as-of date kept changing every week or so but literally nothing else moved on my transcript. It's so frustrating because you think something is happening but it's just the system doing its thing. From what I've learned, those date changes are basically meaningless - it's just the IRS updating their internal processing dates. The real movement comes from transaction codes appearing. Have you tried calling the taxpayer advocate service? They might be able to give you more insight into what's actually going on with your return since you filed back in January.

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed in late January and my transcript has been basically frozen except for those as-of date changes. It's so nerve-wracking because you keep checking hoping for some actual movement. From what I've been reading here, it sounds like those date changes are just automated system updates and don't really indicate progress. Still doesn't make the waiting any easier though! Has anyone had luck getting through to the IRS phone line for an update? I've been trying but keep getting the "high call volume" message 😩