Don't forget to check if your state has any special rules about this! Some states that run their own marketplaces have different policies than the federal marketplace. For example, I live in California which has Covered California instead of healthcare.gov, and they have some additional assistance programs that can help in situations like this. Worth checking if your state has anything similar!

I went through this exact same situation a couple years ago and I totally understand your frustration! The good news is that you likely won't have to pay back the full $1,750 if your annual income is below certain thresholds. Since you were unemployed for part of the year and then got a job, your total annual income might still qualify you for repayment limitations. If your household income is below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (around $58,320 for a single person in 2024), there are caps on how much you have to repay. The key is properly filling out Form 8962. Make sure you accurately report your coverage months (sounds like January through May) and your actual annual income including both your unemployment period and your employment income. The form has provisions for partial-year coverage situations exactly like yours. You did everything right by reporting honestly and canceling coverage when you got employer insurance! The system is designed to reconcile based on your full-year income, but it also has protections to prevent people from owing back huge amounts. Don't panic - just make sure you're calculating everything correctly on your tax return.

I've been following this thread as someone who went through W2c hell last tax season, and wow - the collective knowledge here is incredible! For anyone still waiting, I want to add that you should also check if your employer uses a third-party payroll service like ADP or Paychex. These companies often have their own customer service lines where you can track the status of corrections independently from your HR department. When I called ADP directly last year, they were able to tell me exactly when my W2c was mailed out, which my HR department didn't even know. Also, regarding the SS-4 substitute form that several people mentioned - make sure to ask specifically for it to be marked as "corrected" or "amended" so there's no confusion later. Some payroll departments will just reprint the original incorrect information if you don't specify. The whole system is frustrating, but at least we can help each other navigate it!

This thread has been a goldmine of practical advice! I'm dealing with a similar W2c delay (submitted January 15th) and had resigned myself to just waiting it out. The SS-4 substitute form is a complete game-changer that I'd never heard of - definitely calling my payroll department tomorrow to request one. I'm also realizing I should check if we use a third-party service like ADP since my HR department has been pretty unhelpful about tracking status. One question for the group: for those who filed with the original W2 and amended later, how long did the amended return processing take? I'm trying to weigh whether getting partial refund sooner is worth the hassle of filing 1040X later. The whole situation is frustrating but this community knowledge is invaluable - thanks everyone for sharing your real-world experiences!

This is such a common and frustrating experience! I went through the exact same thing with TaxAct last year. What really bothers me is that they market their service as "free" when clearly they're designed to funnel people into paid tiers at the last possible moment. From what I've learned, the student loan interest deduction (1098-E) has become one of their main "upgrade triggers" even though it's literally one of the most basic tax situations. It's particularly predatory because they know people with student loans are often younger taxpayers who might not have other options readily available. I ended up switching to the IRS Free File program after that experience. You have to go through the IRS website first (not directly to the tax company's site), but the versions available through that program have stricter requirements about what they can charge for. I was able to use my 1098-E without any upgrade prompts. The whole industry has really shifted toward these "freemium" models where the free version gets more and more restricted each year. It's frustrating that something as basic as filing taxes has become this minefield of avoiding upgrade traps!

This is infuriating but unfortunately very common now! I had the exact same experience with TaxAct two years ago - sailed through the entire process with just my W-2 and student loan interest, then got hit with the upgrade prompt at the very last step. It felt like such a bait and switch. What worked for me was using the IRS Direct File pilot program (if you're in an eligible state) or going through the actual IRS Free File portal instead of directly to TaxAct's website. The versions available through IRS Free File have different restrictions and can't pull these last-minute upgrade tricks for basic forms like the 1098-E. It's so frustrating that they've turned the student loan interest deduction - literally one of the most common and basic tax situations - into a premium feature. They know exactly what they're doing by waiting until you've invested all that time entering your information. Don't give in to it if you can help it!

Just wanted to add one more consideration for anyone dealing with RSUs - make sure you check if your company provided any supplemental tax documents beyond just the W2. Some employers issue separate statements that break down exactly which income amounts correspond to which stock transactions, especially if you had multiple vesting dates throughout the year. I had three different RSU vest dates last year and initially tried to figure out the basis for each sale manually. Turned out my company's HR portal had a detailed "Tax Reporting Summary" that showed the exact vesting value for each batch of shares. Made the whole process much easier and gave me confidence I was using the right basis amounts when filing Form 8949. If you can't find this info online, it's worth reaching out to your company's stock plan administrator (usually mentioned on your brokerage statements) - they can often provide the detailed breakdown you need.

This whole thread has been incredibly valuable! I'm in a very similar situation to the original poster - just sold my first batch of RSUs and was really confused about the tax reporting. Reading through everyone's explanations has cleared up so much confusion. One thing I want to emphasize for other newcomers is that the key insight here is understanding that the W2 and 1099-B are reporting different aspects of the same transaction. Your W2 reports the compensation income (the value when the RSUs vested), while the 1099-B reports the investment sale (when you actually sold the shares). They're not duplicating the same income - they're capturing different tax events. I was initially panicking thinking I'd have to pay tax twice on the same money, but now I understand that by using the W2 amount as my cost basis on Form 8949, I'm only paying capital gains tax on any price movement between vesting and selling. Since I sold pretty quickly after vesting, that should be a relatively small amount. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially those who mentioned the tax software guidance and supplemental company documents - those tips are going to save me a lot of time and stress!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Just wanted to add one more option that worked for a friend of mine - if your previous employer was part of a larger corporation or franchise, try reaching out to their corporate headquarters instead of just the local HR department. Sometimes the local office is understaffed or disorganized, but corporate has better systems in place for handling these requests. Also, for anyone worried about the Form 4852 route, I spoke with a tax preparer who said as long as you're making good faith estimates based on actual records (like your final paystub), the IRS is generally pretty reasonable about it. They understand that sometimes employers don't comply with their legal obligations. One last tip: if you do end up calling the IRS, try calling early in the morning (around 7-8 AM) on weekdays. I've found the wait times are usually shorter then compared to afternoons when everyone is trying to call during lunch breaks.

Just wanted to share another option that helped me last year when I was in a similar bind - if your previous employer used a payroll service like Paychex or ADP, you might be able to access your W-2 directly through their employee portal even after leaving the company. Many people don't realize these accounts often remain active for former employees. Also, if you're really pressed for time and can't reach anyone, don't forget that you can request an automatic 6-month extension to file your return using Form 4868. This gives you until October 15th to file, though you'll still need to estimate and pay any taxes owed by the April deadline to avoid penalties. The key thing is not to panic - there are multiple paths to get this resolved. I'd recommend trying the IRS "Get Transcript" service first (either online or by mail), then calling them directly if that doesn't work. They're actually pretty helpful once you get through to a real person, and they deal with missing W-2 situations all the time.