I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just received my Letter 6201 this week and it's showing my 2020 return as "not on file" even though I absolutely filed it through H&R Block. Reading through all these experiences has been such a relief - I had no idea these COVID processing backlogs were still causing issues for so many people years later. The advice about finding your e-file confirmation is spot on. I just dug through my old emails and found my H&R Block acceptance confirmation with the electronic filing date and confirmation number. Going to have that ready when I call the IRS tomorrow. What's really encouraging is hearing from @Laila Prince about checking those specific databases like "UNPROCESSED RETURNS" and "CORRESPONDENCE INVENTORY" that regular reps might not think to search. And @Jenna Sloan's success story about her return being stuck in "unprocessed correspondence" for over a year but eventually getting resolved gives me hope. The fact that your Letter 6201 shows no outstanding debt and consistent filing for your other years is really positive. From everything I've read here, it sounds like these are processing errors rather than actual compliance issues, and they typically don't impact future refunds. Stay strong and be persistent with those IRS calls! This community has been amazing at sharing helpful strategies. Will definitely update with how my situation goes! 🙏

Just wanted to jump in here as someone who's been lurking and reading through all these amazing responses! I'm not dealing with this exact issue myself, but wow - the level of support and detailed advice in this thread is incredible. What really stands out to me is how many people are still being affected by those COVID-era processing backlogs years later. It's honestly eye-opening to see how widespread this problem is. The IRS systems are clearly still struggling to catch up. @Laila Prince - your professional insights about checking "UNPROCESSED RETURNS" and "CORRESPONDENCE INVENTORY" databases are invaluable. That's the kind of insider knowledge that can save people months of frustration. @Jenna Sloan @Chloe Robinson - your success stories are so encouraging for everyone dealing with this. The fact that your subsequent refunds weren't affected despite the processing issues really helps put minds at ease. And @Zoe Dimitriou - the fact that your Letter 6201 shows no outstanding debt and consistent filing for other years is definitely working in your favor. This really does sound like a processing error rather than a compliance issue. For anyone calling the IRS about this: have your e-file confirmations ready, be specific about which databases you want them to check, and don't be afraid to call back if the first rep can't help. Persistence seems to be key based on everyone's experiences here. Hope you all get this resolved quickly! This community support has been amazing to witness 🙏

I just want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread - it's been incredibly helpful! I was dealing with the exact same Box 18/19 issue and was getting really stressed about it. After reading through all the responses here, I now understand that this is actually pretty normal and not necessarily an error on my employer's part. The key takeaway for me was that Box 19 shows wages subject to local tax, while Box 18 shows what was actually withheld. Having an amount in 19 but nothing in 18 just means no local tax was withheld from my paychecks, but I might still owe local taxes depending on where I live. I'm going to check with my city's website to see if they have a local income tax and whether I need to file a separate return. It's a relief to know this won't cause my federal return to be rejected - I was worried about that after reading about other people's W-2 issues causing rejections. Thanks again everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

This thread has been such a goldmine of information! I'm dealing with this exact same Box 18/19 situation right now and was completely panicking when TurboTax flagged it. Reading through everyone's experiences has really put my mind at ease. What I found most helpful was learning that this is actually a common occurrence and doesn't necessarily mean there's an error. The explanation about Box 19 showing local wages subject to tax while Box 18 shows what was actually withheld makes perfect sense now that I understand it. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here and check my municipality's website to see if we have local income tax requirements. Better to be proactive about it now than get surprised later! Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and solutions - this community is incredibly helpful for those of us navigating tax season for the first time or dealing with unusual situations like this.

As someone who's navigated this exact situation, I can confirm that you absolutely can claim your laptop as a qualified educational expense even though it's not on your 1098-T. The 1098-T only reflects direct payments to your institution, but the IRS recognizes that students have legitimate educational expenses beyond what's billed by the school. Your documentation sounds adequate - the Facebook Marketplace messages and Venmo payment create a clear paper trail. I'd also recommend saving any course materials or syllabus that mention computer requirements for your online class. The fact that your old laptop died mid-semester and you needed immediate replacement for a required course strengthens your case that this was a necessary educational expense. Regarding the scholarship situation, this is where it gets a bit complex. Since your scholarship covered all tuition and fees, you'll need to determine which education credit you're eligible for and whether you have enough remaining qualified expenses to claim. The American Opportunity Credit allows for computers and supplies, while the Lifetime Learning Credit is more restrictive. You might want to run the numbers both ways to see which gives you the better benefit. Don't let the lack of a formal receipt discourage you - the IRS understands that students sometimes need to make emergency purchases from non-traditional sources. Just keep thorough records and be prepared to explain the educational necessity if questioned.

I've been through this exact scenario and wanted to share some additional insights. Your Facebook Marketplace purchase with Venmo payment is actually more documented than you might think - those digital records create a solid audit trail that shows the date, amount, and even conversation context about the laptop's condition and purpose. One thing I learned that might help: if you can access your student portal or email, look for any announcements about online learning requirements from early 2025. Many schools sent out technology requirement updates when classes moved online, and having that official communication can really strengthen your documentation. Regarding the scholarship issue, the good news is that having your tuition covered doesn't automatically disqualify you from education credits - it just changes the calculation. Since you're a grad student, you're likely looking at the Lifetime Learning Credit rather than American Opportunity Credit anyway (which has degree completion limits). The LLG can still apply to required course materials and equipment like your laptop. I'd recommend calculating your potential credit both with and without the laptop expense to see if it's worth claiming. Sometimes the benefit is smaller than expected, but given that you have legitimate documentation and a clear educational need, it's usually worth including if you qualify for any credit at all.

Emma, I completely understand your confusion - this exact same thing happened to me when I first started serving! The allocated tips section is one of those things nobody warns you about, but it's actually pretty straightforward once you understand what's happening. Your employer didn't make up that number. The IRS requires restaurants to allocate tips when the total reported tips from all employees fall below 8% of the restaurant's food and beverage sales. So if you and your coworkers collectively reported less than 8% in tips, the restaurant has to "allocate" additional tip income to meet that minimum. Your allocation is based on your share of total sales compared to other tipped employees. Here's the key thing: you're not stuck with that allocated amount! When you file your taxes, you'll use Form 4137 to report your ACTUAL tips for the year. If you made more than what's allocated (which sounds likely since you mentioned making decent money on weekends), you report the higher actual amount. Yes, all tip income is taxable - both cash and credit card tips. You should have been reporting cash tips to your employer monthly if they exceeded $20. But don't panic! For this year's taxes, just do your best to estimate your actual total tips for the 7 months you worked. Going forward, start tracking everything NOW. Get a small notebook and write down your tips after each shift - cash tips, credit tips, and any tip-outs you paid to support staff. This will make next year infinitely easier and protect you if any questions come up. You're going to be fine! This is a super common situation for new servers, and the most important thing is that you're addressing it now rather than ignoring it.

Emma, I totally feel for you - this allocated tips situation is SO confusing when you're new to the service industry! I went through the exact same panic when I first saw that mysterious number on my W2. Here's what's actually happening: The IRS assumes restaurants should be generating at least 8% of their total food and beverage sales in tips across all tipped employees. If your restaurant's total reported tips fall below that 8% threshold, they're required to "allocate" the difference among servers based on your individual sales volume compared to your coworkers. So that allocated tip number isn't your boss making something up - it's a calculation based on your share of the restaurant's total sales during the year. If you had higher sales than other servers, you'd get a bigger allocation. The GOOD news is you're not automatically stuck owing taxes on that allocated amount! When you file, you'll report your ACTUAL tip income using Form 4137. Since you mentioned making decent money on weekends, you probably earned more than the allocated amount anyway, so you'd report your higher actual earnings. For this year, try to reconstruct your tip income as best you can - think about your average good nights vs slow nights and multiply by shifts worked. Going forward, definitely start that tip diary others mentioned. I use my phone's notes app and just quickly jot down my totals before leaving each shift. You're not in trouble for not knowing this stuff - literally nobody explains tip tax obligations when you start serving. The restaurant industry does a terrible job with this education. Just be honest about your actual earnings when you file and you'll be fine!

I just went through a dependent verification audit last year for my nephew, and I wanted to add something that really helped my case that I haven't seen mentioned yet: utility bills and lease agreements. The IRS agent specifically told me that having my nephew listed on our family cell phone plan and showing he was covered under our home insurance policy throughout the year provided strong evidence of residency and support. I also included bank statements showing regular purchases at his school cafeteria and for his school lunch account - these small, consistent expenses really demonstrated ongoing day-to-day care. The agent said what made my case clear wasn't just the big documents like birth certificates, but the pattern of small, regular expenses that showed genuine guardianship. Don't forget to check if the dependent is listed on any of your insurance policies or family accounts - these can be powerful supporting evidence that you're actually providing their daily care, not just claiming them for tax purposes.

I've been through two dependent verification audits myself (2020 and 2022), and the key thing I learned is that consistency across all documents is what the IRS is really looking for. They want to see that your story holds together from multiple angles. Beyond what others have mentioned, I'd recommend gathering any records that show you made decisions as the responsible adult - things like signing permission slips for school activities, being listed as the emergency contact on school forms, or having your dependent listed on your voter registration if your state allows it. One document that really sealed the deal for me was a letter from my dependent's teacher acknowledging me as the primary guardian at parent-teacher conferences. The IRS seems to appreciate third-party validation from schools, doctors, or other institutions. Start organizing everything now by month - it makes their job easier and yours too. Also, keep detailed notes about where each document came from and when you obtained it, because sometimes they'll ask follow-up questions months later about specific pieces of evidence.