Waiting for SBTPG is like watching paint dry while someone keeps adding more wet paint! Does anyone know if calling right when they open is better than mid-day? I've heard their hold times are ridiculous no matter when you call.

I've found that calling SBTPG right at 10am CT (when they open) gives you the best chance of shorter hold times. After 11am, you're looking at 45+ minute waits easily. Also, if you're an independent contractor like the original poster, you might want to check if your tax software offers any expedited refund tracking services - some of them have direct lines to SBTPG that can bypass the general customer service queue. Worth asking your tax preparer about it since you need the funds for quarterly payments.

I think everyone's missing an important point - if you received more than $600 from this company, they are REQUIRED BY LAW to provide a correct 1099-MISC with their TIN. You should report them to the IRS for non-compliance. There's actually a form specifically for this: Form 3949-A.

I went through this exact situation last year with a startup that issued me a 1099-MISC missing their EIN. Here's what worked for me: 1. First, I sent a formal email to their accounting department (and cc'd the CEO) explaining the issue and requesting a corrected form within 10 business days. I kept it professional but firm. 2. When they didn't respond initially, I sent a follow-up certified mail letter with the same request. This got their attention because certified mail creates a paper trail they can't ignore. 3. While waiting for their response, I went ahead and filed my taxes using the information I had. I reported the full $3,750 income on Schedule C and included a note in my records about the missing TIN and my attempts to obtain it. 4. The company eventually sent a corrected 1099-MISC about 3 weeks later, but by then I'd already filed successfully. The key is documenting every attempt you make to contact them - save emails, note phone call dates/times, and keep copies of any letters. The IRS understands that sometimes payers make mistakes, and as long as you report the income accurately and show good faith efforts to get complete documentation, you're in the clear. Don't let this delay your filing - you can always provide additional documentation later if the IRS requests it.

Have you looked at the actual breakdown of what's being withheld? Sometimes it's not just income tax - there could be health insurance, retirement contributions, uniform fees, or other deductions you weren't expecting.

Good catch on finding that meal plan deduction! That's a perfect example of why it's so important to go through every line item on your paystub. Many restaurants have automatic enrollments for things like meal programs, uniform cleaning services, or even employee discounts that get deducted from your check. For the remaining tax withholding difference, definitely bring up that filing status issue with payroll - switching from "single" to "head of household" should make a noticeable difference in your take-home pay. Also ask them to walk you through exactly how they're calculating withholding on your tip income, since that seems to be where a lot of the confusion is coming from. It's frustrating when employers don't clearly explain these things during onboarding, but at least you're catching it early and can get it fixed going forward!

11 This might be a response to increased IRS scrutiny of tax preparers. My sister works at a tax firm and they recently implemented stricter documentation policies because they got audited. But they told clients about the policy change well in advance and explained exactly which regulation they were complying with. Your preparer's approach sounds suspicious - why wait until months after tax season? And why not explain the specific requirement?

5 I've been a client at my tax firm for over 20 years and they did something similar last year, but it was because they were implementing new security protocols after a data breach at another office in their network. They clearly explained this was for enhanced security and gave us multiple secure options for providing the information (secure portal, in-person verification, etc). The vague explanation you received is what concerns me most.

Has anyone else noticed how tax identity theft has gotten so much worse in the last couple years? My neighbor had someone file a fake return with her info last year and it took her like 8 months to get her actual refund. The IRS is completely overwhelmed with this stuff.

This is definitely a red flag. I've been preparing taxes for over a decade and there's absolutely no legitimate reason a tax preparer needs physical copies of social security cards. The SSN itself is sufficient for all tax preparation purposes, including e-filing and identity verification with the IRS. The explanation about "security purposes in case someone tries to fraudulently use your SSNs" doesn't make sense either - having copies of your cards wouldn't prevent or help with identity theft, and actually creates MORE risk by having those documents stored in their files. I'd strongly recommend finding a new preparer. A legitimate tax professional should be able to clearly explain why they need any document, and getting defensive when questioned is another warning sign. Trust your instincts on this one.