I've been using Chime for tax refunds for two years now and it's been reliable. Got my refund about 2 days early both times compared to what the IRS estimated. Since you're military and moving in June, here's what I'd suggest: Keep your USAA account open as a backup until after your refund clears - you never know what could happen during a bank transition. Also, make sure you file early (as soon as you get your W-2) to give yourself maximum buffer time before your PCS. I learned from experience that having financial stuff sorted well before a military move reduces stress significantly. The account/routing number verification you've done sounds thorough - just make sure you're pulling those numbers from the direct deposit section in the Chime app, not from your debit card. Good luck with both your taxes and your upcoming move!

I've been using Chime for tax refunds for the past two years and can share some insights that might help with your situation. The good news is that Chime has been very reliable for government deposits - I typically receive my refund 1-2 days before the IRS scheduled date, similar to what others have mentioned here. Since you're coming from USAA and have that June PCS deadline, I'd recommend a few things: First, file as early as possible once you receive all your tax documents to maximize your buffer time before moving. Second, consider keeping your USAA account active until after your refund processes, just as a safety net during the transition. Third, make sure you're using the account and routing numbers from the direct deposit section in your Chime app - I made that mistake my first year and nearly sent my refund to the wrong place. Given that you're planning 45 days ahead and have already triple-checked your numbers, you're being much more thorough than most people. The combination of early filing and Chime's faster processing should give you plenty of time to resolve any issues before your move. One last tip - enable push notifications for deposits in the Chime app so you'll know immediately when your refund hits, which can be especially helpful during a busy PCS timeline.

Has anyone actually had the IRS come back and question these kinds of errors? I had something similar on my W-2 last year (wrong code in box 12) and just filed anyway because I was in a hurry to get my refund. Nothing bad happened...

This is definitely a payroll error that needs to be corrected. As someone who's dealt with similar W-2 discrepancies before, I'd strongly recommend not filing with these incorrect codes even if everything else looks right. The IRS matching system can flag returns where reported tip income doesn't align with typical patterns for your industry. Manufacturing workers aren't expected to have uncollected tip taxes, so this could trigger automated review processes down the line. Here's what I'd do: Contact your HR department immediately and request a corrected W-2c. If they're slow to respond, mention that incorrect tax codes can create compliance issues for both you and the company. Most payroll departments will prioritize fixing these errors once they understand the potential implications. While waiting for the correction, don't let the filing deadline stress you out. You can request an extension if needed. It's much better to file correctly with a slight delay than to deal with IRS correspondence later asking you to explain tip income you never received.

This is a significant discrepancy that definitely needs to be resolved before you file your taxes. The fact that your W-2 shows $7,170 LESS than what you actually received is very concerning and suggests there may be an error in how your employer reported your wages to the IRS. Here's what I'd recommend doing step by step: **Contact your former employer first** - Reach out to their payroll or HR department with your bank statements as evidence. Be polite but clear: explain you're preparing your taxes and there's a substantial difference between what's on your W-2 ($28,450) and what you actually received ($35,620). **Ask for their payroll records** - Request that they pull up your complete payment history for the year and compare it to what was submitted for your W-2. Sometimes these discrepancies are due to payroll system errors or data transfer issues. **Document everything** - Keep records of all communications with your employer, and make sure to follow up in writing (email) after any phone conversations. **If they won't cooperate or fix it** - You can file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) with the IRS using your actual income amount. This alerts the IRS to the discrepancy and they'll investigate directly with your employer. **Critical point**: Never file your taxes using the incorrect lower amount, even if your employer won't fix their mistake. You must report your actual earnings to avoid potential issues with the IRS later. The good news is that most legitimate employers will want to resolve this quickly once they realize it could trigger IRS scrutiny of their payroll tax compliance. A $7,170 underreporting isn't something they can ignore. Keep us posted on how it goes!

This is a really serious issue that you need to address immediately before filing your taxes. A $7,170 discrepancy where your W-2 shows LESS than what you actually earned is not a small mistake - it suggests your employer may have significant payroll reporting problems. Here's exactly what I'd do: **Step 1: Organize your evidence** - Print out or save PDFs of all your bank statements showing the deposits from this employer. Highlight each payment and total them up so you have clear documentation of the $35,620. **Step 2: Contact payroll department directly** - Don't go through general HR or a manager. Ask specifically for whoever handles "W-2 corrections" or "payroll tax reporting." Be direct: "I need help resolving a discrepancy between my W-2 and actual wages paid. My W-2 shows $28,450 but I received $35,620 in payments." **Step 3: Request their payroll records** - Ask them to pull up your complete payroll history and year-end totals from their system. Often they can spot the error immediately when comparing their records to what was reported. **Step 4: Get a timeline** - Tax season doesn't wait, so ask when you can expect either an explanation or a corrected W-2. Give them about a week max to research and respond. **Step 5: Use Form 4852 if needed** - If they won't cooperate or deny there's an error, file Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) with your actual income. The IRS will then investigate your employer directly. **Critical**: Never file using the wrong lower amount. Always report what you actually earned, even if you have to use Form 4852. Underreporting income can cause problems for you later. This level of underreporting could mean they're not paying correct employer taxes either, which makes this their compliance problem with the IRS. Most employers will fix this quickly once they understand the implications.

Does anyone know if FreeTaxUSA lets you file prior year returns? I've used them for the past couple years and their interface is way easier than some of the bigger names.

For anyone dealing with multiple years of unfiled returns, I'd strongly recommend prioritizing them by which ones might have refunds versus which ones you'll owe money on. As Sofia mentioned, you only have 3 years to claim refunds, so those should be your absolute top priority. I was in a similar situation last year with 4 years of unfiled returns. I ended up using a mix of approaches - FreeTaxUSA for the years that could still be e-filed (super affordable at around $15 per return), and had to paper file the oldest ones. The key is just getting started rather than letting the overwhelm keep you procrastinating. One tip that helped me: gather ALL your tax documents first before you start any filing. Having everything organized upfront made the whole process way less stressful than trying to hunt down missing forms while in the middle of preparing returns.

I went through something very similar last year! That "unable to process" message with the identity theft hotline reference had me panicking too, but it turned out to be much less scary than it sounds. In my case, my return had been flagged for manual review because of some inconsistencies in my W-2 reporting (my employer had made a small error). The system couldn't generate my transcript because there was a hold on my account, not because of actual identity theft. When I called that 800-908-4490 number, they were able to see exactly what was going on and walked me through the next steps. The hold times were brutal (like 2+ hours), but the rep was actually helpful once I got through. They had me fax some additional documentation and my refund was released about 3 weeks later. Definitely call that number - the uncertainty is worse than knowing what's actually happening!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation! Filed in March 2024 and got that same "unable to process" message when trying to access my transcript about 2 weeks ago. The identity theft hotline mention definitely freaked me out at first, but after reading the other comments here I'm feeling a bit more hopeful that it's just a verification issue. I called the 800-908-4490 number yesterday and after a 3 hour hold (I literally watched an entire season of a show while waiting 😭) they told me my return was flagged for income verification because of a discrepancy with one of my 1099s. They're having me mail in additional documentation, so hopefully that resolves it. The rep assured me it wasn't actual identity theft, just their system being extra cautious. Hang in there - sounds like a lot of us are in the same boat this year!