Just wanted to chime in with a personal experience that might help! My spouse and I had a very similar situation last year - combined income around $130k, one child, and I was working across state lines (NJ/NY). We spent way too much time agonizing over MFJ vs MFS and finally just ran the numbers both ways using tax software. The difference was stark - MFJ saved us about $2,800, primarily because of the Child Tax Credit and the better tax brackets. With MFS, we would have lost a significant portion of the Child Tax Credit due to the income phase-out thresholds being much lower. The multi-state aspect was honestly less complicated than I expected. The software handled the resident/non-resident returns automatically, and the tax credit between states worked exactly as described by others here. My advice: don't overthink it. Given your income levels and having a qualifying child, MFJ is almost certainly your best bet. The only time I've seen MFS make sense for married couples is when there are major deductions that can't be shared (like huge medical expenses) or serious concerns about the other spouse's tax compliance.

Based on all the great advice here, I wanted to share a quick calculation method that might help visualize the MFJ vs MFS decision for your situation: **Quick MFJ estimate:** - Combined taxable income: ~$126,000 - Standard deduction: $30,700 (including blindness addition) - Taxable after standard deduction: ~$95,300 - Approximate federal tax: ~$10,800 - Child Tax Credit: -$2,000 - **Estimated federal tax: ~$8,800** **Quick MFS estimate (if you each filed separately):** - Your tax on $55,000: ~$6,200 - Husband's tax on $71,000: ~$8,100 - Combined: ~$14,300 - Reduced/eliminated Child Tax Credit due to income limits - **Estimated federal tax: ~$12,300-$14,300** That's potentially $3,500-$5,500 more in taxes with MFS! Plus you'd lose the simplicity of one return and face restrictions on various deductions and credits. The multi-state aspect (CT/RI) adds complexity to your state returns but won't change this fundamental federal math. Given your income levels and family situation, MFJ is almost certainly your best choice unless there are major factors (like significant medical expenses or student loan considerations) that you haven't mentioned.

I went through something very similar when I moved states and started a new job. The combination of multiple W-2s and selecting Head of Household without properly accounting for your other income sources is definitely what caused your underwithholding issue. One thing that helped me was setting up quarterly estimated tax payments for situations like this. Since you know you'll likely owe again if you don't adjust your withholding, you could make estimated payments throughout 2025 to avoid penalties and the stress of owing a large amount at tax time. For your W-4 fix, I'd recommend using the IRS Withholding Estimator online rather than guessing. It will ask about all your jobs and give you specific amounts to withhold from each employer. Much more accurate than trying to figure out the multiple jobs worksheet manually. Also, keep in mind that owing $1,300 on multiple W-2s isn't necessarily a disaster - it just means your withholding was off. The goal is to get as close to zero as possible for next year so you're not giving the IRS an interest-free loan or scrambling to pay a big bill.

The good news is that owing $1,300 isn't catastrophic - it just means your withholding system needs an overhaul. I've been through similar situations with multiple W-2s, and it's almost always fixable with the right W-4 adjustments. Here's what I'd recommend for your immediate situation: First, if you haven't filed yet and need to pay what you owe, you can set up a payment plan directly with the IRS online. No need to call if you owe less than $50,000 - their online payment agreement tool is actually pretty straightforward. For fixing 2025, the Multiple Jobs Worksheet on the W-4 is your friend, but I get that it looks intimidating. The IRS Withholding Estimator online does the same calculations but walks you through it step by step. You'll need your most recent paystubs from all jobs, and it will tell you exactly what to put on each employer's W-4. One key thing - Arizona doesn't have special state withholding rules that would affect your federal taxes, so your move there isn't the culprit. It's really just the combination of Head of Household status (which assumes you're supporting dependents and withholds less) plus multiple income sources that each employer calculates in isolation. The quickest fix while you figure out the precise numbers is to change your highest-paying job's W-4 to "Single" status and add maybe $75-100 extra withholding per paycheck on line 4(c). You can always adjust it later once you run the numbers properly.

Just wanted to add my experience to this helpful thread! I received the same "we need more information" message about 6 months ago and completely understand that initial panic. Like many of you mentioned, my military background had me triple-checking everything I'd submitted, wondering what I could have possibly missed. In my case, the letter arrived in exactly 2 weeks and they were asking for verification of my spouse's military pay - apparently having Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Combat Pay Exclusion on the same W-2 triggered their automated review system. Nothing was wrong, they just needed copies of my spouse's Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) to verify the tax-exempt combat pay amount. A couple of military-specific tips that might help: If you received combat pay, had a mid-deployment address change, or have income from multiple duty stations, these are common triggers for verification. Keep your military orders and LES records handy - they're often exactly what the IRS needs to verify military-related income situations. The whole process took about 3 weeks once I sent the requested documents via certified mail. Your organized approach to documentation will definitely work in your favor here. Try not to stress too much until you see what they specifically need - it's likely something much more straightforward than the anxiety makes it seem!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Got that message 4 days ago and have been nervously checking my mailbox ever since. This entire thread has been such a relief to read - it's amazing how that vague "we need more information" message can make you think you've committed some kind of tax crime when it's actually just routine verification. What really helps is seeing the consistent timeline everyone's shared. It seems like 2-3 weeks for the letter is pretty standard, then another 3-4 weeks to resolve once you send back what they need. I've already checked my IRS online account to verify my address (thanks for that tip!) and started organizing my documents based on the common categories people mentioned - W-2s, dependent info, education credits, etc. Like many of you, my military background means I have everything meticulously filed and cross-referenced. It's oddly comforting to know that what makes us "weird" among civilians is actually going to be a huge advantage here! I'm planning to respond via certified mail when the time comes and stick exactly to whatever they request - no more, no less. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. This community support has turned what felt like a crisis into just another administrative task to handle properly. Here's hoping my letter arrives soon with a straightforward request!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Filed head of household for the first time on February 28th after my divorce was finalized in December. Got my 570 code on March 9th and have been anxiously checking my transcript multiple times a day since then. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - I was completely convinced I'd made some terrible error on my return until I found this thread. It's incredible how many of us newly divorced people are dealing with this identical scenario! The consistent 2-4 week timelines everyone's sharing really helps set realistic expectations for what to expect. Based on what I'm learning here, it sounds like the IRS just needs to verify our head of household eligibility since it's our first time filing with this status post-divorce, which makes total sense given it's such a major change from married filing jointly. I'm feeling much more optimistic now that this will resolve automatically in the next few weeks without me having to take any action. Thank you for starting this discussion - finding so many people in the same boat has really helped manage my stress during this waiting period!

I'm going through this exact same situation too! Filed head of household for the first time on February 16th after my divorce was finalized in September. Got my 570 code on March 7th and have been obsessively checking my transcript ever since. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - I was starting to think I'd made some huge mistake on my return until I found this thread. It's amazing how many newly divorced people are dealing with this identical scenario right now! The consistent 2-4 week timelines everyone's sharing really helps set realistic expectations. Based on what I'm learning here, it sounds like the IRS just needs to verify our head of household eligibility since it's our first time filing with this status post-divorce. I'm feeling much more optimistic now that this will resolve automatically without me having to take any action. Thank you for starting this discussion - finding so many people in the same boat has really helped ease my anxiety during this stressful waiting period!

Is your wife getting any special tax credits throughout the year? There's a way to adjust withholding for things like child tax credits, student loan interest, etc. Also, did she fill out the newest W4 form? The 2020 and newer forms don't use allowances anymore (no more 0, 1, 2, etc).

I work in payroll and can confirm that the "A" code on your wife's W2 definitely indicates Single filing status for withholding purposes, which explains the extremely low federal tax withholding. This is a common error when employees don't update their W-4 after getting married or when payroll systems aren't properly updated. Here's what you need to do immediately: 1. Have your wife submit a new W-4 form to HR/payroll ASAP to correct her filing status to Married for 2025 2. For your 2024 taxes, you'll likely owe additional tax when you file jointly - start calculating this now 3. Consider requesting additional withholding from your paychecks for the remainder of 2025 to avoid owing again next year The $190 withheld on roughly $36k income is dangerously low - you should expect to owe several thousand dollars when you file. I'd strongly recommend using tax software or consulting a professional to make sure you handle this correctly and avoid any penalties.