My case got resolved in 3 weeks but that was back in January when they weren't as swamped

Hang in there! I just went through this process last month. My TAS advocate was assigned in early December and my refund finally hit my account on January 8th - so about 5 weeks total. The key thing is that once TAS gets involved, they actually have the power to push things through that regular customer service can't touch. Make sure to respond to any requests from your advocate ASAP and keep checking your transcript like others mentioned. You're in the home stretch now!

Single filer here making $71k with no dependents. I've been getting refunds around $1,900-2,200 the past few years, which after reading this thread I'm realizing might be too high. I contribute 6% to my 401k and take the standard deduction. I think I need to look at adjusting my W-4 because that's basically $175+ per month I could have in my paycheck instead of waiting for a refund. The "forced savings" argument makes sense, but I'd rather have control over that money throughout the year and put it in a high-yield savings account where it can at least earn some interest. Thanks for all the specific examples - it's really helpful to see the actual numbers from people in similar situations rather than just general advice about withholding!

Single filer making $64k here with no dependents. I've been getting refunds around $1,350-1,500 the past couple years, contributing 7% to my 401k with standard deduction. Reading through everyone's experiences has been super enlightening! I never really thought about the opportunity cost of large refunds until seeing the discussion about high-yield savings accounts and having that money available throughout the year. One thing I'm curious about - for those who adjusted their W-4 to reduce refunds, did you notice any difference in how you managed your monthly budget? I'm a bit worried that if I increase my take-home pay, I might just end up spending that extra money instead of saving it like I do when I get the lump sum refund. The "forced savings" aspect has been working for me, but I can see the appeal of earning interest on that money instead of giving the IRS a free loan. Also wondering if anyone has experience with how changing your W-4 mid-year affects things? I'm tempted to make an adjustment now but wasn't sure if it's better to wait until the start of a new tax year.

Just wanted to share that my company made a similar mistake with my withholding when I got married but kept filing as "single" (my spouse and I file separately). I didn't catch it for over a year! When I finally figured it out, I panicked and called a CPA who basically laughed and said this happens constantly. His advice was: 1) Fix it going forward immediately 2) Set aside some cash to cover what you'll owe for the current year 3) Don't stress about past years if you've already filed and settled up. The bigger issue is going to be this year since you're already 9 months in with incorrect withholding. The simplest fix is to immediately adjust your W-4 to have a specific additional amount taken out of each remaining paycheck. Your payroll department can help calculate this.

I work in payroll and see this exact situation probably 5-6 times a year. Your aunt is overreacting - you're not going to have wages garnished over this! Here's what actually happens: The IRS cares about your actual tax liability when you file your return, not what your employer withholds during the year. Since you've been filing as "single" (which is correct) and getting refunds, you've already squared up with the IRS for those past years. The real issue is 2023. You'll likely owe money when you file, but it's not going to be some catastrophic amount. At $80 per paycheck over 9 months (assuming biweekly pay), you're looking at maybe $2,000-2,500 in underwithholding for the year. That's manageable. Two immediate steps: 1) Use the IRS withholding calculator to figure out exactly how much extra to withhold for the rest of 2023, and 2) Start setting aside some money each month to cover what you'll owe when you file. The IRS has payment plans if you can't pay it all at once when you file. As long as you're not repeatedly owing large amounts year after year, they're pretty reasonable to work with. You're going to be fine!

its probably ur credit score. happened to my cousin last year and thats what it was

I work at a tax prep office and can confirm what Evelyn said - TurboTax definitely has early filing deadlines for advances, usually around mid-February. They also do income verification and look at your tax history with them. Even with good credit, if you had any issues with previous advances or filed late in prior years, that can disqualify you. It's frustrating because they don't always explain the criteria upfront!

Make sure to double check your W-2s from those years! Box 1 (wages, tips, other compensation) would include any imputed income. If your employer won't give you an accurate breakdown, look at your December paystub for each year and multiply the per-paycheck imputed income by the number of pay periods. When I had this issue, my company refused to issue corrected W-2s, so I had to file Form 4852 (substitute for Form W-2) along with my 1040-X for each year. Total nightmare but got back around $2200.

This is a really common issue that many newly married couples face! As others have mentioned, you're absolutely right that imputed income should only apply to domestic partners, not legally married spouses. The IRS is clear that employer-provided health insurance for spouses is not taxable income. I'd suggest documenting everything before you approach HR again. Print out your pay stubs showing the imputed income, gather copies of your marriage certificate, and maybe even print out the relevant IRS guidance (Publication 15-B covers this). Sometimes having the official documentation in hand makes the conversation go more smoothly. One thing to watch out for - if your employer fixes this going forward but won't issue corrected W-2s for previous years, you'll definitely want to file those amended returns. The IRS typically allows you to amend returns for up to three years, so depending on when you got married in 2022, you might be able to recover taxes from both 2022 and 2023. Keep pushing on this - it's definitely worth the effort to get it corrected!