Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that we have to ask for EXTRA money to be taken out of our paychecks?? The whole system is so messed up. The IRS already knows how much we should be paying, why make it so complicated???

This is definitely frustrating, and you're right to be concerned. Your employer is legally required to follow the withholding instructions on your W-4, including any additional withholding amounts you've requested. Here's what I'd recommend: 1. **Gather your documentation** - Make sure you have a copy of the signed W-4 showing the $40 additional withholding request, and collect all your pay stubs showing the missing withholding. 2. **Contact payroll immediately** - This could be a simple processing error. Bring your W-4 copy and ask them to explain why the additional withholding isn't appearing on your pay stubs. 3. **Request immediate correction** - If it was an error, ask them to fix it for future paychecks AND to make a catch-up withholding for the missed amounts ($40 x number of paychecks missed). 4. **Get everything in writing** - Document all conversations with dates, names, and what was discussed. If your employer refuses to comply, you may want to contact your state's labor department, as this could be considered a payroll violation. The IRS doesn't directly handle employer compliance issues, but proper documentation will help if you face underpayment penalties at tax time. Don't panic about owing taxes yet - focus on getting this fixed for the remaining pay periods this year, and you might be able to make up most of the difference.

Have you tried contacting a Taxpayer Advocate? They're supposed to help when normal channels aren't working! I'm worried about your quarterly issue causing cascading problems if it's not resolved quickly. Would your accountant be able to help navigate this? So frustrating that our tax system makes it this difficult to just talk to someone!

I feel your frustration! As someone who's dealt with similar IRS phone issues, I found success with a few strategies: First, try the automated callback feature when available - you can request a callback instead of waiting on hold. Second, consider faxing your inquiry to the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 855-641-6935 with your specific discrepancy details and contact info. Third, if this is truly time-sensitive for your estimated payments, you might qualify for Taxpayer Advocate Services (mentioned by others) - they have authority to expedite cases that could cause financial hardship. Also, check if your issue can be resolved through your online IRS account or by mailing Form 843 if it's about penalties/interest. Document everything for your records!

I went through this same thing last year! Notice 1462 is definitely just identity verification - nothing scary. The whole process took about 2 weeks once I verified online through ID.me. Just make sure you have your prior year tax return handy when you verify, they'll ask questions about it. Don't stress too much, it's super common these days with all the fraud prevention measures they've put in place.

Same thing happened to me last month! The notice 1462 is definitely just identity verification - totally routine. I was panicking too when I first saw it on my transcript, but it turned out to be no big deal. The verification through ID.me took about 10 minutes, and my return processed about 3 weeks later. Just have your previous year's tax return ready because they'll ask specific questions about amounts and filing status. Way less scary than it seems!

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - since your mom had a stroke and likely qualifies as disabled, she might be eligible for an IRS provision called "Disability Discharge." This isn't widely known but can be huge. I discovered this after my husband became disabled. You'll need medical documentation showing permanent disability, but if approved, it can result in forgiveness of certain tax debts. It's not guaranteed and doesn't apply to all types of tax debt, but definitely worth investigating given her stroke and ongoing health issues. Also, make sure to check if your state has similar provisions for state tax debt - many states have parallel programs for disability-related tax relief.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this overwhelming situation. As someone who works in tax resolution, I want to add a few critical points that could really help your mom's case. First, given that she was self-employed and dealing with mental health issues, there's a good chance the IRS may not have accurate records of her actual income during those years. Self-employed individuals often have the IRS estimate their income based on industry averages, which can be way higher than reality. Getting those returns filed with actual income figures could significantly reduce what she owes. Second, her stroke and ongoing health issues could qualify her for "reasonable cause" relief from penalties. This is separate from hardship status and can result in substantial penalty reductions. You'll need medical documentation, but given the severity of her condition, this could eliminate a huge portion of her debt. Also consider that if she had very low income in some of those years, she may not have owed much (or anything) for those periods. Self-employed people only owe self-employment tax if their net earnings exceed $400 annually. The most important step right now is getting those returns filed to establish the actual tax liability rather than letting the IRS continue to estimate. Everything else becomes much clearer once you know what she actually owes versus what penalties and interest have accumulated.

Has anyone here used TurboTax for this kind of situation? I'm having the same issue as OP but wondering if the tax software will figure it out automatically or if I need to do something special.

I'm a newer member here but wanted to share what I learned from a similar situation. Like others mentioned, Form 8919 isn't the right form since you're properly classified as an employee with a W-2. The key thing to check is whether your employer is correctly handling tip reporting and withholding. If you reported tips to your employer (which it sounds like you did), they should be withholding Social Security and Medicare taxes on both your hourly wage AND your reported tips. The fact that nothing was withheld suggests a payroll processing error. I'd recommend checking with your employer's payroll department first - they may need to issue a corrected W-2. If they're unresponsive or the issue isn't resolved, you might need to contact the IRS directly to report the employer's failure to withhold required taxes. This is different from Form 8919, which is specifically for worker misclassification disputes. Make sure to keep documentation of your tip reporting (Form 4070 or equivalent records) in case you need to prove you properly reported your tips to your employer.