This thread has been incredibly comprehensive! I'm in a very similar situation and have been putting off filing for years due to missing documentation. Reading through everyone's experiences and solutions has given me so much hope that this is actually manageable. I wanted to add one more approach that might help - if you've ever applied for any government benefits or programs (unemployment benefits, food assistance, Medicaid, etc.), those applications typically require detailed employment history and income information. I found my old unemployment application from 2021 that listed employers I'd completely forgotten about, along with their addresses and the dates I worked there. Also, if you have any old tax preparation software receipts in your email (even from years you didn't complete filing), those often contain employer information from when you started entering your data. I found a TurboTax receipt from 2022 that reminded me of a part-time job I'd had. The combination of all these methods - IRS transcripts, state unemployment records, old applications, VITA assistance, and document archaeology through emails and files - really does provide multiple paths to reconstruct your employment history. It's reassuring to know there are so many people who've successfully navigated this process and gotten caught up. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and creating such a helpful resource for those of us trying to get our tax situations straightened out!

This thread has been an absolute goldmine of information! As someone who's also been avoiding taxes due to missing W2s, I'm finally feeling motivated to tackle this. One small addition that might help others - if you've ever had a background check for any job, apartment rental, or volunteer position, those companies (like Sterling, HireRight, etc.) sometimes keep records of the employment information you provided. I found an old background check report in my email that listed employers with dates that I'd completely forgotten about. Also, for anyone feeling overwhelmed by all these options, I'd suggest starting with the quickest free ones first: state unemployment office website, then IRS Get Transcript tool, then digging through old emails and documents. The paid options (SSA report, professional help) can be your backup if the free methods don't get you everything you need. The encouragement here about penalty relief and first-time filer understanding from the IRS has been really reassuring. It's clear that taking action to get compliant is always better than continuing to avoid the situation, even when you're missing documentation. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and proving this is totally doable!

Has your friend contacted QuickBooks Payroll support directly? I had a similar issue and discovered that QuickBooks actually has a tax resolution team specifically for these situations. Since he's been using QuickBooks Payroll, they should have records of all the calculated taxes even if they weren't paid. Their tax specialists can generate all the necessary documentation showing what's owed for each period, which makes setting up a payment plan with the IRS much easier. In my case, they even helped connect me with the right IRS department and provided guidance on which forms to file. Might be worth a call to them before trying some of the more expensive options.

I've been following this thread and wanted to add one more option that hasn't been mentioned yet - your friend can also make federal payroll tax payments by wire transfer directly to the IRS Treasury account. This completely bypasses EFTPS and the PIN requirement. He'll need to contact his bank's wire department and provide them with the IRS Treasury routing number (which varies by region) and account number, along with his EIN and tax period information. Most banks can process same-day wire transfers for tax payments, though there's usually a fee ($15-30). This is actually the fastest way to get payments posted to his account while dealing with the PIN situation. The IRS processes wire transfers within 1-2 business days, and it immediately stops additional penalties from accruing on the paid amounts. For the $45K total, I'd also strongly recommend he request penalty abatement under "reasonable cause" provisions. The fact that he's been actively trying to resolve this since January and the IRS hasn't processed his address change or PIN request should qualify. Form 843 is what he needs, and he should include documentation of all his attempts to contact the IRS and resolve the issue. Given the amount involved, the multi-pronged approach several people mentioned makes sense - wire transfer for immediate payments, Taxpayer Advocate Service for the systemic issues, and penalty abatement for the accumulated charges.

I've been following this thread with great interest as someone who's dealt with similar LLC partnership tax confusion. What strikes me most is how many CPAs seem to give blanket advice about "all LLC members paying SE tax" without properly considering material participation rules. For anyone still working through this issue, I'd recommend being very specific when discussing your situation with tax professionals. Ask them directly about the seven material participation tests under IRC Section 469 and how they apply to your LLC members. If they can't explain these tests clearly, that's a red flag that they may not be the right fit for partnership taxation. One additional point I haven't seen mentioned - if you're using business credit cards or financial accounts, make sure to review who's actually authorized on these accounts. Having only the active partner as an authorized user on business accounts is another piece of documentation that supports the material participation difference. The amendment success stories shared here are really encouraging. It's clear that when the facts strongly support non-participation (like having zero business-related activities, communications, or decision-making involvement), the IRS amendments process can work smoothly and result in significant refunds. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this thread should be bookmarked by anyone dealing with LLC partnership SE tax questions!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to follow! As someone who just started an LLC with my brother last year (I handle all operations, he's purely a financial investor), I've learned more from reading these real experiences than from months of trying to decipher tax guides online. The material participation angle completely changes how I'm thinking about our tax situation. Our CPA told us the same thing - "both LLC members need to pay self-employment tax" - but now I'm realizing that might not be correct for our situation since my brother doesn't participate in any business activities whatsoever. What really opened my eyes was Mohammed's explanation of the seven material participation tests under IRC Section 469. I had never heard of these before, but it makes perfect sense that there would be specific criteria for determining who actually needs to pay SE tax based on their level of involvement. I'm planning to follow the roadmap that several people have outlined here: review our operating agreement, consult with a partnership tax specialist, and potentially amend our 2023 return. The documentation aspect that everyone keeps mentioning shouldn't be an issue since my brother has literally zero business footprint - no emails, no client interactions, no access to any business systems. Thanks to everyone who shared their amendment success stories and savings amounts. It's really motivating to know that correcting this issue can result in substantial refunds. This community discussion has been far more helpful than any generic tax advice I've found elsewhere!

I'm new to this community but wanted to add my perspective as another Frost customer! I've been banking with them for about 2 years and can echo what everyone else is saying about their consistency with DDDs. Last year my refund was scheduled for 02/28 and it posted at exactly 3:45 AM that morning - no early deposit, but right on schedule. What I find helpful is that even though Frost doesn't give you the early surprise, they're incredibly reliable. I've never had to worry about delays or issues once I see that code 846 on my transcript. Sometimes the predictability is actually less stressful than wondering "will it come early or won't it?" Based on all the data points shared here, I'd say you can confidently expect your refund to hit your Frost account in the early morning hours of 02/26. The tracking patterns everyone has shared are really impressive - it's great to have this kind of real-world data to set proper expectations!

As a newcomer to this community, I really appreciate how thorough everyone has been with sharing their Frost Bank experiences! I'm actually in a similar situation - my DDD is coming up soon and I was hoping for an early deposit, but reading through all these data points has given me realistic expectations. The consistency everyone's reporting is actually pretty remarkable. Connor's tracking data showing 82.4% on-time deposits and 0% early deposits over 17 data points across 3 seasons is exactly the kind of real-world information that's so valuable. And seeing multiple people confirm the 2-6 AM deposit window gives me a clear expectation of when to check. I think what I'm taking away from this discussion is that while Frost may not give you the early deposit thrill that some online banks do, their reliability is actually a different kind of reassurance. Knowing you can count on your refund hitting your account in that early morning window on your exact DDD is pretty valuable peace of mind. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - this community seems like such a great resource for navigating tax refund timing with real data instead of just speculation!

I went through this exact same situation two years ago when my company switched from ADP to Workday mid-year. It was definitely confusing at first, but it's actually a pretty straightforward process once you know what to do. The most important thing is to enter each W-2 exactly as it appears on the form - don't try to combine them or "fix" anything yourself. When I used H&R Block's software, it walked me through adding the second W-2 and even had a specific prompt asking if this was due to a payroll system change, which made me feel more confident I was doing it right. One tip that really helped me: before filing, I added up all the federal tax withheld from both W-2s (Box 2) and compared it to what my final paystub showed for the year. This helped me catch that one of my W-2s was missing about $200 in withholding that should have been included. HR fixed it with a corrected W-2c within a week. The whole process was much less scary than I thought it would be. Just take your time entering the data and double-check everything against your paystubs!

This is actually a very common situation and nothing to stress about! When companies switch payroll systems mid-year, they typically issue separate W-2s for each system rather than trying to combine them into one form. You're absolutely correct to enter both W-2s separately in your tax software - never try to manually combine the amounts yourself. The IRS receives copies of both forms, so they're expecting to see both reported on your return. Most major tax software platforms handle this seamlessly. Look for an "Add another W-2" button after entering your first form. The software might warn you about having the same employer twice, but just confirm that yes, you do have multiple W-2s from the same company. Before filing, I'd strongly recommend adding up the total wages from both W-2s (Box 1) and comparing that to your final paystub of 2024 to make sure the numbers align. Sometimes errors occur during payroll system transitions, and it's much easier to get a corrected W-2c now than to deal with IRS issues later. The bottom line: enter each W-2 exactly as it appears, and let the tax software do the math for you!