Just my two cents as someone who went through this exact situation last year - increasing withholding on your existing W4 is MUCH easier than switching to MFS for withholding purposes. When I switched to MFS on my W4 but filed jointly, it created confusion with our HR department and they kept asking questions. Plus the MFS withholding tables sometimes withhold TOO much depending on how your incomes compare to each other. My husband and I ended up with a huge refund which was nice but also meant we had less money throughout the year.

I went through almost the exact same situation a few years ago and can definitely relate to the stress! Just to add some reassurance - the distinction between your W-4 withholding status and your actual filing status is really important to understand, and several people have explained it well here. One thing that helped me was to think of the W-4 as just instructions to your payroll department about how much tax to take out of each paycheck. It has zero impact on what filing status you actually choose when you file your return in April. So you could absolutely set your W-4 to "Married Filing Separately" to increase withholding, but then file "Married Filing Jointly" next year and your Roth IRA contributions would be perfectly fine. That said, I'd echo what others have mentioned about just increasing your withholding amount instead of changing your status on the W-4. It's cleaner and gives you more precise control. The IRS withholding calculator tends to be conservative (better to overwithhold than underwithhold), so don't be surprised if that $350 biweekly seems high - you can always adjust it down later in the year if needed. Also definitely look into that penalty safe harbor rule that was mentioned. At your income level, as long as you pay in 110% of last year's total tax through withholding, you won't face any underpayment penalties even if you end up owing again.

Same here! My as of date has been stuck for weeks while I see others moving forward. It's so frustrating not knowing what's happening. I've been checking my transcript daily but nothing changes. Really hope we get some movement soon 🤞

I'm in the exact same situation! My as of date hasn't budged while others in my weekly cycle got the 2/24 update. From what I've researched, it usually means one of a few things: either there's a minor hold/review on your return, you're in a different processing batch, or sometimes the system just processes accounts at different speeds even within the same cycle. The frustrating part is not knowing which one it is! I've been trying to stay patient but it's tough when you see others moving forward. Hopefully we'll see some movement in the next update cycle 🤞

Quick question - how long do amended returns typically take to process? I'm in a similar boat (forgot a W2) and worried about timeline.

Pro tip: Make sure you keep detailed records of WHEN you discovered the error and when you took steps to correct it. The IRS is more lenient with honest mistakes that you voluntarily correct promptly. Document everything.

Wait i'm confused. I thought the child tax credit was $3,600 per kid last year? Why are you all saying it's only $2,000?

This is a really common confusion! I went through the same thing when I started my new job last year. The key thing to understand is that the W4 Step 3 and the actual Child Tax Credit on your return work together, but they're calculated separately. When you put $4,000 in Step 3 of your W4, you're essentially telling your employer "I expect to get $4,000 in child tax credits when I file, so please reduce my withholding by the tax on that amount throughout the year." This helps you get more of your money in each paycheck instead of waiting for a big refund. On your actual tax return, you'll still claim the full Child Tax Credit you're eligible for (up to $2,000 per qualifying child for 2024) using Form 8812. You don't subtract anything from it. The $1,440 in reduced withholding you mentioned isn't "used up" credit - it's just tax that wasn't taken from your paychecks because the system knew you'd get credits when filing. If your withholding was perfectly calculated, you should break even or get a small refund. If too little was withheld (which can happen), you might owe a bit when you file, but you still get your full credits.

This happened to me last year and it was because I claimed the earned income credit. The IRS automatically holds refunds with EITC or the Additional Child Tax Credit for extra verification. Did you claim either of those?

I'm going through something similar right now - filed in early February and still stuck on "still processing" with no updates. Reading through all these responses has been really helpful, especially the suggestions about checking transcripts and looking for IRS letters I might have missed. One thing I wanted to add that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you moved recently, make sure the IRS has your current address. I just realized I filed with my old address because I forgot to update it in my tax software. Apparently if they send notices to the wrong address and you don't respond, your refund gets held up indefinitely. You can update your address by filing Form 8822 or calling the IRS directly. Also, for anyone else reading this thread who's dealing with delays - it seems like there are multiple tools and services that can help get answers faster than just waiting and checking the "Where's My Refund" tool every day. The transcript analysis and callback services mentioned here seem legit based on people's experiences. Sometimes you just need to take action instead of waiting in the dark!