Has anyone tried going above HR directly to the payroll provider? I had a similar issue with my W-2 last year (wrong state tax withholding) and discovered my company uses ADP. I called ADP's customer service, explained the situation, and they were able to initiate the correction from their end much faster than going through my company's disorganized HR department.

Another option if you're really stuck is to check if your employer has an employee self-service portal or app where you can view your pay history and year-end tax documents. Sometimes these systems show the correct information even when the printed W-2 has errors. You can screenshot or print these pages as supporting documentation when you contact HR or the payroll company. Also, if your employer is part of a larger corporation, try reaching out to the corporate payroll department instead of just your local HR. They often have more resources and authority to expedite corrections. I've seen cases where local HR takes weeks but corporate payroll fixes it in days. One last thing - if you're union represented, your union rep might be able to help escalate this issue. Payroll errors affecting multiple employees often get faster attention when the union gets involved.

Keep us updated OP! Lots of us watching these codes like hawks rn lol

Hey Chris! Don't panic yet - code 840 means your refund was definitely processed and sent out. Since you requested direct deposit, it can take 3-5 business days to actually show up in your account after the 840 posts. December 4th was a Wednesday, so if we account for weekends, you should see it by early this week. If it doesn't show up by Friday, I'd call your bank first to make sure they didn't reject it for any reason (wrong account info, etc.). The IRS will automatically send a paper check if the direct deposit fails, but that would add 2-3 weeks to your timeline. Hang in there!

bruh the IRS is straight up playing games with our money. we need to start charging them interest fr 😤

I'm in almost the exact same situation! Filed 2/8, got the 60-day letter, congressman got involved in April, and now I'm just waiting on my TAS advocate too. The whole "IRS won't talk to you once TAS is involved" thing is so frustrating - like we're stuck in limbo. At least we know we're not alone in this mess. Hoping both our cases get resolved soon! 🤞

The whole system is broken tbh. They take our money instantly but take forever to give refunds back smh

I'm in a similar situation - filed my MD return on 2/3 and still waiting. The processing times have definitely gotten longer this year. I've been checking the Maryland Taxpayer Service Division website and they updated their expected processing time to 6-8 weeks for most returns. Hang in there, it's frustrating but seems like we're all in the same boat with the delays.

One important thing nobody mentioned - make sure you're setting aside money for taxes as you go! Self-employment tax is about 15.3% on top of regular income tax. When I first started delivery driving, I didn't save anything and got hit with a $2,100 tax bill I wasn't prepared for. Now I automatically put 25-30% of my gig earnings into a separate savings account.

This is really helpful information! I'm in a similar situation as a college student looking at gig work over the summer. The mileage deduction tip is golden - I had no idea it was 65.5 cents per mile. That could really add up quickly with delivery driving. One question though - if I'm only doing this for 2-3 months like the original poster, do I still need to worry about quarterly estimated tax payments? Or is that only if you're doing gig work year-round? I'm trying to figure out if I should be setting aside money for taxes or if I can just handle it all when I file next year. Also, does anyone know if there are any good free apps for tracking mileage automatically? I feel like I'd definitely forget to log trips manually.