I just went through this nightmare last month! My advice: don't try to do this yourself. After messing around with transcripts and getting nowhere, I finally broke down and paid a tax professional $225 to handle everything. They got my records from the IRS, filed all my back taxes, and even negotiated a payment plan. Worth every penny to not deal with the stress.

Marcus, I completely understand the stress you're going through - I was in almost the exact same situation last year! The good news is you have several solid options to get your W2 information. First, definitely start with requesting a Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS like Lily mentioned. You can get this online at irs.gov/transcripts by creating an account, or mail Form 4506-T. This will have all the key information from your W2s that employers reported to the IRS. One thing to keep in mind since you mentioned you were getting tips - make sure you have records of your tip income if you reported it throughout the year. The transcript will show what your employer reported, but if you had additional unreported tips, you'll need to include those as well. Also, don't panic about the IRS letters. Yes, penalties and interest are accumulating, but the IRS is generally willing to work with people who are making a good faith effort to get compliant. Once you file, you can often get penalty abatement for reasonable cause, especially given your circumstances with the business closure and moves. The sooner you get this sorted, the better - but you're definitely not "screwed." Thousands of people deal with missing W2s every year and get it resolved. You've got this!

Don't forget to make quarterly estimated tax payments for next year! This is a big shock to a lot of self-employed people who are used to W-2 jobs where taxes are withheld automatically. If you don't make these quarterly payments, you'll not only face a big bill next April but might also get hit with underpayment penalties. They're due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 (of the following year).

This thread has been super helpful! I'm also self-employed and had a similar panic attack when I saw my tax bill versus my taxable income. What really helped me understand it was breaking down the math: Let's say you had $25,000 in net self-employment income (after business expenses). Your self-employment tax would be roughly $3,533 (15.3% of $23,085 after the 0.9235 adjustment). Then you get to deduct half of that ($1,767) when calculating your income tax, plus your standard deduction ($14,600 for single filers), which gets you to that low taxable income of $1,347. So you're paying $3,533 in SE tax + maybe $135 in income tax = around $3,668 total. The good news is you can deduct business expenses to lower that SE tax base, and there are strategies like a SEP-IRA that can help reduce your overall tax burden as a self-employed person. It's definitely a rude awakening coming from W-2 employment, but once you understand the system you can plan better for next year!

Anyone else think its crazy that we have to jump through so many hoops just to get our own money back? The system is rigged, man.

I went through something similar last year. What helped me was creating an online IRS account if you haven't already - you can view and download copies of notices they've sent. Also, make sure to check if your address on file with them is correct (you can update it online too). If the notice is about additional documentation they need, you can often upload it directly through the online portal rather than mailing it. Way faster than waiting for snail mail back and forth!

Is it possible theres legit extra work for your K-1s that would justify additional fees? Like if you have complex allocations or multiple classes of stock or something? Just playing devils advocate here

This is definitely not standard practice and you're absolutely right to question it. I've been through this exact situation with my S-Corp and it's frustrating when accountants try to unbundle services that should naturally go together. The Form 1120S is essentially meaningless without the accompanying K-1s - it's like preparing half a tax return. The whole point of S-Corp taxation is the pass-through treatment, which requires the K-1s to properly allocate income, deductions, and credits to shareholders. Your accountant already has all the information needed to prepare the K-1s from completing the 1120S. I'd suggest having a direct conversation with your accountant about why they consider this a separate service. If they can't provide a compelling reason (like unusually complex allocations), you might want to shop around. Most reputable tax professionals include K-1 preparation as part of their S-Corp package because they understand it's a required component, not an optional add-on. Don't let them nickel and dime you on what should be standard service. Your car analogy is spot-on.

Hey, just wanted to chime in with real numbers from my experience switching from W-2 ($75k) to 1099 ($103k) last year. After all the math, I'm taking home about $4,200 more per year as a 1099, but I'm working way more hours and don't have paid vacation anymore. For me, the biggest advantages were: 1. I can contribute over $30k to my Solo 401k vs the $20.5k limit I had as an employee 2. Being able to deduct my home office, new computer, software, and even part of my cell phone bill 3. Having more control over my schedule The biggest downsides: 1. Paying quarterly estimated taxes (easy to mess up) 2. No employer health insurance (I'm paying $487/month now on the marketplace) 3. Unpaid vacation and sick days 4. Constantly worrying about documentation for deductions

One thing to consider that hasn't been fully addressed is the stability factor. As a W-2 employee, you have some job protection and unemployment benefits if things go south. As a 1099 contractor, you can be let go at any time with zero notice and no unemployment safety net. I'd also recommend getting a solid contract in place that clearly defines the scope of work, payment terms, and termination clauses. Make sure you understand whether this is truly a contractor role or if you're just being misclassified to save the company money on benefits and payroll taxes. The $24k difference ($92k vs $68k) sounds attractive, but remember you'll lose employer-paid benefits like health insurance, 401k matching, paid time off, and potentially other perks. When I made a similar switch, I calculated that my employer benefits were worth about $18k annually, so factor that into your comparison. If you do decide to go the 1099 route, definitely set aside 25-30% of each payment for taxes immediately. Open a separate business checking account and treat it like it's not your money - because it's not, it belongs to the IRS!