I tried that calculator but got confused halfway through. Do you know if it's better than just checking the box in Step 2? My situation is pretty straightforward - just two jobs, no kids, standard deduction.

For a straightforward situation like yours (two jobs, similar income levels, no kids), checking the box in Step 2(c) on both W-4s should work fine. The calculator is more beneficial if you have a more complex situation with kids, multiple income sources, or if you itemize deductions. The box method is designed to withhold enough for two similarly-paying jobs. If you want to be extra cautious, you could put a small additional amount ($20-50 per paycheck) in Step 4(c) for additional withholding, but it's probably not necessary with your income levels.

That's actually not how the new W-4 works. You don't "claim" the standard deduction on the form anymore. The new form automatically incorporates the standard deduction into the withholding calculations. The old form with allowances is gone.

This!!! Same thing happened to me two years ago. The WMR never updated past "approved" but the money showed up in my account. Their systems don't communicate well with each other.

Exactly! Their systems are so outdated and disconnected from each other. Sometimes the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. I've also noticed that if you're getting your refund via direct deposit, it sometimes shows up as pending in your bank account 1-2 days before the official deposit date the IRS gives you. Another tip: if you're using a tax preparation service like TurboTax or H&R Block and chose to have your fees taken out of your refund, your money actually goes through a third-party bank first, which can add 1-2 more days to the process. That might explain some delays too.

That's because they want their money faster than they want to give out money lol. Honestly though, different types of returns go through different processing channels. Simple returns with no credits and that owe money typically process faster.

6 I actually did this last year! The key was framing it as a win-win for both the company and employees. I put together a one-page document showing how much FICA tax the COMPANY was paying unnecessarily by including per diem in taxable wages (they pay 7.65% matching on all those per diem amounts!). Then I showed how employees were getting hit with income tax on top of that. I brought it to our finance director rather than HR, since it was ultimately a money issue for the company. When they realized they could save thousands in payroll taxes company-wide by switching to an accountable plan, they made the change within a month!

I agree! I had a similar thing with a part-time job last year. Boss sent a phone pic of my W2. I kept asking for a real copy and she eventually mailed it after I mentioned "IRS requirements" even though I wasn't 100% sure what they were lol. Sometimes just sounding like you know the rules is enough to get what you need!

That's a good approach. Sometimes employers, especially small businesses, aren't being deliberately difficult - they just don't understand the requirements or think they're being helpful by sending something quickly. Mentioning IRS requirements often gets their attention because nobody wants tax trouble. If polite requests don't work, you can always contact the IRS directly after February 15th. By that point, they should have the W2 information in their system, and they can provide you with a wage and income transcript that has the same information.

Thanks for the suggestion! If I keep hitting a wall with my boss, I'll definitely try this route. Have you ever had issues filing with the transcript instead of the actual W2? I'm just worried about potential delays or questions.

Nope, no issues at all. The transcript has all the exact same information that would be on your W2. The only difference is the format. Tax software doesn't care where you get the numbers from, just that they're correct. The IRS already has all your W2 info in their system (your employer submits it to them), so the transcript is actually coming straight from the official records.

Thanks for this suggestion. I double-checked and I'm pretty sure I entered everything identically, but I might have missed something. Is there a specific expense category that tends to cause this kind of calculation difference? I'm going to go through line by line again to make sure.

The most common categories that can cause differences are home office deductions and vehicle expenses. Some programs calculate these differently based on how you enter the information. Also check if you're using actual expenses versus standard mileage rate for vehicle costs in both programs the same way. Another thing to look at is retirement plan contributions. If you have a SEP IRA or Solo 401(k), the way these are entered can affect your SE tax calculations differently across programs.

Is there actually an official IRS position on which order to do these calculations? I always thought the tax code was super specific about calculation order.