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I went through something similar a few years back - had to get W-2s from 3 different employers after some pretty messy departures. One key thing that helped me was being persistent but professional with follow-ups. If you don't hear back from HR within 10-14 days of your initial email, send a polite follow-up. I used something like: "Following up on my request from [date] for my 2024 W-2. Please let me know if you need any additional information to process this request." Also, don't forget that even if your mail forwarding expires, USPS will still forward tax documents for a full year as long as you set it up before the deadline. Since you did yours in December, you should be covered through December 2025. One last tip - if any of these employers used direct deposit, check if you still have access to whatever banking app or service they used. Sometimes payroll companies like ADP or Paychex will email you directly when W-2s are available, even if you no longer work there. Worth checking your email (including spam folder) for any notifications from payroll services. You've got this! The awkwardness of the situation doesn't change your legal right to those tax documents.
This is really helpful advice about the follow-up timeline! I didn't realize that USPS forwards tax documents for a full year - that takes some pressure off. One thing I'm curious about - when you say "messy departures," did you ever have employers who were just completely unresponsive or hostile even to professional requests? I'm worried that one of my former employers might just ignore me out of spite since things got pretty heated when I left. Did you have any backup strategies for dealing with employers who just refused to cooperate at all?
Yes, I definitely had one employer who was completely unresponsive to my professional requests - it was a small company where the owner took my departure very personally. After two polite emails and a phone call that went nowhere, I had to escalate. Here's what worked: I called the IRS helpline after February 15th (you have to wait until then to report missing W-2s) and filed a complaint. The IRS agent took down all the employer information and initiated a formal request on my behalf. Within two weeks of the IRS contacting them, I suddenly got a W-2 in the mail along with a very terse note from their bookkeeper. The backup to that would have been filing Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) using my final paystub information. You can estimate your total wages and withholdings from your last paystub and file your taxes that way if the employer never cooperates. The key thing to remember is that the IRS has real power to compel employers to provide W-2s - they can face penalties for non-compliance. So even the most spiteful employer usually caves when the government gets involved. Don't let their pettiness stress you out too much!
I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - left 3 jobs this past year and two of them were... let's just say not amicable departures. The advice here about contacting HR directly instead of your former manager is spot on. One thing I'd add is to keep detailed records of all your contact attempts. I created a simple spreadsheet tracking when I emailed each company, who I contacted, and their responses. This documentation became really useful when I had to escalate one case. Also, if you're dealing with smaller companies that might not have dedicated HR departments, try reaching out to their accounting/bookkeeping person or whoever handles payroll. Sometimes at smaller places, the owner's spouse or a part-time bookkeeper handles tax documents and they're usually much more professional about it than whoever you had conflicts with. The mail forwarding should definitely help, but don't rely on it completely. I'd still proactively reach out to each employer just to be safe. Better to have an awkward 2-minute phone call than deal with IRS penalties later!
I used Pay1040 for the first time this year for a $3,200 payment and had a great experience overall. The confirmation email came through within about 10 minutes, and the payment showed up on my IRS account transcript after 2 business days. One tip I'd share - take a screenshot of the confirmation page immediately after submitting your payment, not just relying on the email. I also made sure to double-check all my information before hitting submit since I'd heard horror stories about typos causing delays. The 1.87% fee was definitely worth it for the credit card points I earned, plus having the payment processed immediately gave me peace of mind about meeting the deadline. Just make sure you have enough credit limit available - they do put a temporary hold for the full amount plus fee while processing.
Thanks for the tip about taking a screenshot! I'm new to using these payment processors and that's really helpful advice. Quick question - when you say the payment showed up on your IRS account transcript after 2 business days, how did you check that? Do you just log into your IRS online account or is there a specific place to look for payment confirmations?
You can check your IRS account transcript by logging into your IRS online account at irs.gov. Once you're logged in, go to "Get Transcript" and then select "Account Transcript" for the tax year you made the payment for. The payment will show up there once it's been processed by the IRS system. You can also use the "View Account Information" section in your online account which shows a summary of your account balance and recent payments. I usually check both just to be thorough. The account transcript is more detailed and shows the exact date the payment was credited to your account. If you don't have an IRS online account set up yet, you'll need to verify your identity with them first, which can take a few days. But once it's set up, it's really convenient for tracking payments and checking your account status.
I've been using Pay1040 for about two years now and it's been reliable every time. The key things I've learned: always double-check your SSN and tax year before submitting, save both the confirmation email AND take a screenshot of the confirmation page, and don't panic if it takes 2-3 business days to show up in your IRS account. One thing that really helped ease my anxiety was setting up my IRS online account ahead of time so I could monitor when the payment posted. The first time I used a credit card processor I was nervous about the large amount too, but now it's my preferred method since I earn rewards and don't have to worry about timing bank transfers. For a $6,700 payment, you're probably earning decent rewards that offset most or all of that processing fee. Just keep all your documentation and you should be fine!
This is really reassuring to hear from someone with experience using these processors! I'm actually in a similar situation - just made my first payment through Pay1040 for about $5,800 and was getting anxious about whether it would go through properly. Your point about setting up the IRS online account ahead of time is great advice. I just created mine yesterday so I can track when the payment posts. How long did it typically take for you to see the payment reflected in your account transcript? I know you mentioned 2-3 business days, but I'm wondering if larger amounts take longer to process or if it's pretty consistent regardless of the payment size. Also, did you ever have any issues with your credit card company flagging the large payment as suspicious? I'm worried my bank might block it even though I notified them in advance.
I'm in the exact same situation! Got denied by SBTPG yesterday even though my transcript shows a clean refund coming. Credit score is 695 so not terrible either. Really needed that advance to cover some unexpected car repairs but looks like I'll have to figure something else out. At this point I'm wondering if anyone is actually getting approved or if they're just denying everyone this year š¤·āāļø
Ugh, car repairs are the worst timing when you're waiting on a refund! I'm starting to think they're just being super conservative this year - maybe they had too many defaults last year? It's crazy that even people with decent credit are getting denied. Have you checked if your tax prep place offers any other advance options? Some of them work with different lenders that might have looser requirements.
Just went through the same thing with SBTPG - got denied even though my transcript looks perfect and I have a 710 credit score. Talked to my tax preparer and they said SBTPG has basically stopped approving most people this season, even folks who would have been approved easily last year. Really sucks because I was counting on that advance to help with some medical bills. Guess we're all stuck waiting for the IRS to do their thing. At least when I checked my transcript yesterday it looks like everything is processing normally, so hopefully we'll see our refunds in a few weeks š¤
That's so frustrating about the medical bills! I'm in a similar spot - was really counting on the advance to cover some emergency expenses. It's reassuring to hear that your transcript shows everything processing normally though. Mine looks good too, so hopefully we'll both see our refunds soon. This whole SBTPG situation is such a mess this year - seems like they've just decided to deny almost everyone regardless of credit or circumstances š¤
I went through this exact same situation last year and here's what I learned: The key issue isn't whether you're on separate health plans, but whether her FSA can be used for your family's medical expenses when you file jointly. Since you mentioned she uses her FSA for prescriptions and doctor visits, it sounds like a general medical FSA. Even though you have separate insurance, the IRS considers her FSA as available to cover your medical expenses because you file taxes together. This technically disqualifies you from HSA contributions. However, I'd strongly recommend getting the actual plan documents from her HR department - not just asking them verbally. Look specifically for language about who can use the FSA funds. Some plans restrict usage to the employee only, which could change everything. If it turns out her FSA does disqualify your HSA, ask her benefits team about switching to a limited-purpose FSA during the next enrollment period. Many employers now offer this option specifically for situations like yours. You'd lose some FSA flexibility but gain HSA eligibility, which is often worth it given the triple tax advantage of HSAs.
This is really helpful advice, Miguel! I'm definitely going to request the actual plan documents from my wife's HR department rather than just asking verbally. That's a great point about getting the specific language about who can use the FSA funds - I hadn't thought to look for that level of detail. The limited-purpose FSA option for next enrollment period sounds like it could be a good solution if we run into issues. Do you happen to know if there are any downsides to switching from a regular FSA to a limited-purpose one, other than the obvious restriction to just dental and vision expenses?
I actually went through a very similar situation recently and wanted to share what I discovered. The confusion around HSA/FSA combinations is incredibly common, and unfortunately, many HR departments give incomplete or incorrect information about this. Here's what matters most: Since you file taxes jointly, the IRS looks at what accounts are available to your household, not just what you personally use. If your wife's FSA is a general medical FSA (which it sounds like it is since she uses it for prescriptions and doctor visits), then technically those funds could be used for your medical expenses, even if you never actually do that in practice. This makes you ineligible for HSA contributions, regardless of having separate health insurance plans. The separate insurance actually doesn't matter for this rule - it's all about the FSA accessibility. However, there are a few potential solutions: 1. Check if her FSA plan documents specifically restrict usage to her only (unlikely but worth checking) 2. See if her employer offers a "limited purpose FSA" option during next enrollment 3. Consider whether the HSA tax advantages outweigh her current FSA benefits I ended up having my spouse switch to a limited purpose FSA, and honestly, the HSA benefits (triple tax advantage, investment growth potential, no "use it or lose it" rule) made it totally worth the trade-off. We just budget differently for regular medical expenses now. The peace of mind of knowing we're fully compliant with IRS rules was worth making the change.
This is exactly the kind of clear explanation I was looking for! Thank you for breaking down how the joint filing affects everything - I hadn't fully understood that the separate insurance plans don't matter if we're filing together. Your point about the HSA's triple tax advantage and investment growth potential is really compelling. We've been so focused on maximizing the FSA that we might be missing the bigger picture with long-term HSA benefits. The "use it or lose it" aspect of FSAs has always stressed me out anyway. I'm definitely going to have a conversation with my wife about potentially switching to a limited purpose FSA during the next enrollment period. Did you find it difficult to adjust your budgeting for regular medical expenses after making the switch, or was it pretty manageable?
@DeShawn Washington, this is such valuable insight! I'm actually in almost the exact same boat as the original poster. My spouse has been using a regular medical FSA while I contribute to an HSA, and I had no idea we might be violating IRS rules since we file jointly. Your explanation about the "accessibility" of the FSA funds being the key factor really clarifies things. I always thought since we keep our finances and health plans completely separate, we'd be fine. But if the IRS considers her FSA as theoretically available for my expenses just because we file together, that changes everything. I'm curious - when you made the switch to having your spouse use a limited purpose FSA, did you have to do anything special to "fix" the previous years when you might have been non-compliant? Or does making the change going forward handle everything?
Alice Pierce
Just to clarify something - the income threshold to qualify for marketplace subsidies in non-expansion states is 100% of the Federal Poverty Level, not $14k exactly. For 2023, that's about $13,590 for a single person. When you file your taxes with Form 8962, if you received APTC (Advanced Premium Tax Credit) but your income falls below 100% FPL, there's a specific checkbox (I think it's Part III of the form) that handles this situation. Check "yes" to the question about estimating your income would be higher than poverty level.
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Esteban Tate
ā¢OK but what if they audit you? Couldn't they claim you should have known your income would be $0 earlier in the year? Especially since their job ended in late 2022?
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Zoe Stavros
I work for a tax preparation service and see this situation frequently during filing season. The key thing to understand is that the IRS distinguishes between "reasonable estimates" and intentional misrepresentation. When you initially enrolled using your 2022 income as an estimate, that was completely appropriate - you had no way of knowing your workplace would close. The fact that you took time off after losing your job is also a reasonable life decision that couldn't have been predicted when you enrolled. The "penalty of perjury" language applies to knowingly providing false information, not to life circumstances changing after enrollment. An audit would focus on whether your original estimate was reasonable based on the information available at the time, not whether it turned out to be accurate. What matters for audit protection is that you eventually updated your information when you realized the discrepancy during open enrollment. This demonstrates good faith compliance. Document everything - keep records of when you updated your marketplace information, any communications with them, and note the timeline of your job loss. The income cliff provision others mentioned is real and will protect you from repaying the subsidies. Just make sure to complete Form 8962 accurately and check the appropriate boxes for falling below the poverty threshold despite reasonable initial estimates.
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Malik Robinson
ā¢This is really reassuring to hear from someone who works in tax prep! I've been losing sleep over this whole situation. Just to make sure I understand correctly - when I file Form 8962, I should check the box saying I reasonably estimated my income would be above the poverty level when I enrolled, even though it ended up being $0? And that protects me from having to repay the thousands in subsidies I received throughout the year? I want to make sure I'm filling out the form correctly since this is my first time dealing with marketplace insurance.
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