Lucas, I feel you on this situation! I went through something similar when I moved states and lost track of several years of tax documents. Here's what worked for me: First, definitely start with the IRS Wage and Income Transcript like Harper mentioned - it's free and gives you all the key numbers you need. But here's a pro tip: if you're planning to file multiple years at once, consider getting a tax professional involved. They can help you navigate any penalties and potentially get some of them waived, especially if this is your first time being delinquent. For the employers that might be out of business, try checking with the state's Department of Labor or equivalent agency. They sometimes maintain records of businesses that have closed and can point you to who might have the payroll records now. One more thing - if you end up owing money from those back years, don't panic about paying it all at once. The IRS has payment plan options that are way more reasonable than people think. Getting into compliance is the most important step, and it sounds like you're already on the right track by taking action now instead of continuing to put it off. Your partner definitely has the right idea encouraging you to get this sorted - it'll be such a relief once it's behind you!

Hey Lucas! I've been through almost the exact same situation and wanted to share what worked best for me. First off, don't beat yourself up too much - you're taking action now and that's what matters! I'd recommend starting with the IRS Wage and Income Transcript route that Harper mentioned. It's completely free and you can usually get it online within minutes if you can verify your identity. The transcript will have all the essential tax info from your W-2s even if it doesn't look exactly like the original forms. One thing I learned the hard way - when you're dealing with multiple years of unfiled returns, it's really helpful to tackle them systematically. I made a simple checklist of what documents I needed for each year and what methods I was trying to get them. Saved me from calling the same places twice or forgetting which transcripts I'd already requested. For those closed businesses, try searching for the parent company or management company that might have taken over their records. I was surprised how many "closed" restaurants still had their payroll records accessible through corporate offices or the payroll processing companies they used. The good news is that if you're owed refunds from any of those years, you can still claim them! And if you owe money, the IRS payment plans are way more reasonable than most people think. Getting back into compliance is going to feel amazing once you're done with this process. You've got this!

Just wanted to add my experience here - I had the same confusion last year with my ACTC amount! What really helped me was understanding that the ACTC calculation can vary so much based on your specific tax situation. For example, if you have multiple kids, the calculation gets more complex because each child can generate up to $1,500 in ACTC, but it all depends on your earned income and how much regular CTC you already used. The IRS Publication 972 also has some good examples that walk through different scenarios. It's definitely one of those tax provisions that seems simple on the surface but has a lot of moving parts underneath!

Thanks everyone for the detailed explanations! As someone who just went through this same confusion, I wanted to share what finally made it click for me. The ACTC is basically the IRS saying "hey, you qualified for more child tax credit than we could apply to your actual tax bill, so here's the difference as a refund." The 15% of earned income over $2,500 formula is the mechanism they use to calculate how much of that leftover credit you can actually get back. So your $1,271 Miguel means you had earned income that put you in that sweet spot where you qualified for more CTC than your tax liability could absorb. It's actually a pretty nice safety net for families once you understand the logic behind it!

From my experience working with Idaho tax issues, here's what you need to know: • Idaho uses an automated system called TRIPS (Tax Refund Intercept Program System) to match refunds against outstanding debts • Common offset sources include: child support, unemployment overpayments, college tuition, state taxes from previous years • You should have received a pre-offset notice before filing • If no notice was received, you can appeal within 30 days of discovering the offset • Request a debt verification letter from both Tax Commission and the agency claiming the debt • If it's a legitimate debt, you can often set up a payment plan for the remainder Don't wait too long to address this - the appeal window is limited!

I went through something similar with my Idaho refund two years ago. The "no offset info available" message is definitely suspicious - legitimate offsets always have documentation. Here's what worked for me: I called (208) 334-7660 early morning (around 8:15 AM) and got through on the second try. Turns out there was a glitch in their system that was incorrectly calculating refunds for certain filing statuses. They fixed it within 5 business days and issued the difference. Before you assume it's an offset, ask them to verify the refund calculation first - could save you a lot of stress!

One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you keep detailed records of the backup withholding incident for your own files. I went through this same situation a few years ago and it was helpful to have documentation showing exactly what happened and when. Save a copy of any communications with your broker about the certification issue, screenshots of your account showing the withholding amounts, and any statements that break down the regular vs. backup withholding. This can be useful if there are any discrepancies when you receive your W-2, or if you need to reference it for future tax filings. Also, if you have multiple RSU vesting events throughout the year, make sure you're tracking each one separately. The backup withholding might only apply to the specific vest where you hadn't certified, while other vests should have normal withholding rates. This level of detail will help you spot any errors in your year-end tax documents.

This is such a helpful thread! I just wanted to add one more perspective as someone who works in corporate finance and deals with RSU administration. The 24% backup withholding rate is actually the same rate used for other backup withholding situations (like when you don't provide a correct SSN to a bank for interest payments). It's not specific to stock compensation - it's just the standard federal backup withholding rate set by the IRS. One thing I'd emphasize is that this really reinforces the importance of keeping your broker account information up to date. Beyond just the W-9 certification, make sure your address, name, and other details are current. Sometimes backup withholding can be triggered by mismatched information between what your employer provides and what's on file with the broker. Also, if you're planning to sell any of these RSU shares in the future, having proper documentation of the backup withholding will be important for calculating your cost basis correctly. The backup withholding doesn't change your cost basis in the shares, but you'll want clear records of what happened for your own peace of mind when doing the tax calculations later.

Has anyone checked if this might be related to the IRS's new verification requirements for 2023? They changed how they handle joint filers with ITINs and SSNs.

This ITIN-to-SSN transition issue is exactly what happened to us! My wife got her SSN in 2021 after having an ITIN, and we've been dealing with these verification problems ever since. I just called the ITIN unit at 1-800-908-9982 that Jessica mentioned, and they were able to see both numbers in their system but confirmed they weren't properly linked for e-file verification. The representative said this is becoming a huge issue this year because of the new verification requirements. They can update your records over the phone to link the ITIN and SSN, but it takes 2-3 business days to reflect in the e-file system. Much faster than waiting for an IP PIN or mailing everything in again. For anyone else with this issue - have your spouse's ITIN, SSN, and a copy of the year you first filed with the SSN ready when you call. They need to verify the transition happened legitimately.