Accidentally filed wrong year W2 (2019 instead of current) - Will IRS reject or delay refund?
I messed up and included a W2 from 2019 when filing my taxes this year instead of the current one. The numbers aren't that different maybe like $2000 total difference. Will the IRS automatically reject this or put me under review? Should I just wait and see what happens or file an amendment right away?
22 comments


Ava Williams
Yeah filing the wrong year W2 is definitely gonna cause some issues. The IRS systems will flag this immediately since the info won't match what employers reported. Your best bet is to file an amended return ASAP with the correct W2. In the meantime, I highly recommend using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to analyze your transcript and see exactly what's going on. It'll tell you if the IRS has started processing, if there are any holds, and when you might actually see that refund hit your account. Way better than trying to decode the transcript yourself or waiting on hold with the IRS for hours.
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Miguel Castro
•omg i made the same mistake last year 🤦♀️ took forever to fix
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Zainab Ibrahim
•whats taxr.ai? never heard of it but sounds helpful rn ngl
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Ava Williams
•its like having a tax pro read your transcript but its AI. saves so much time trying to figure out whats going on with your refund
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Zainab Ibrahim
•Just tried taxr.ai and here's what I got back: It showed me exactly where my return was getting held up and gave me a timeline for when it should be fixed. Super helpful!
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Connor O'Neill
•this happened to my cousin and the irs sent him a letter like 6 months later asking for the right w2 💀
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LunarEclipse
•does anyone know how long the amended return takes to process these days? im in the same boat 😭
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Ava Williams
•usually 16-20 weeks but taxr.ai can give you a more accurate timeline based on your specific situation
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Keisha Johnson
Tax pro here - The IRS system will likely flag this because the W2 info won't match what your employer reported. You should file an amendment (Form 1040-X) ASAP. Don't wait for them to catch it, it'll cause more delays. Better to be proactive than reactive with the IRS.
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Yara Sayegh
•ugh thats what I was afraid of 😫 do you know how long the amendment usually takes to process?
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Keisha Johnson
•Currently running about 16-20 weeks for amendments, but could be longer depending on backlog
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Paolo Longo
•im in the same boat rn. filed an amendment 4 months ago still waiting 🙃
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CosmicCowboy
Hey! You should check out taxr.ai - it's this new tool that analyzes your transcripts and tells you exactly what's going on with your return and if you need to amend. It costs $4.99 but totally worth it for the peace of mind. I used it last week for a similar situation.
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Amina Diallo
•interesting! does it actually work? like how accurate is it?
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CosmicCowboy
•Its literally amazing! The AI reads your entire transcript and explains everything in plain English. It caught things I didnt even notice and told me exactly what to do next
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Amina Diallo
•just tried it and OMG where has this been all my life?! 🙌 so much better than trying to decode transcript codes myself
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Oliver Schulz
The IRS is such a joke fr... they'll take forever either way 🤡
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Natasha Orlova
This happened to my cousin last year. They froze his refund for 6 months until he proved the correct income. Just amend now and save yourself the headache
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Yara Sayegh
•6 months?! 😱 yeah def gonna amend asap
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Javier Cruz
Tbh with how backed up they are they might not even notice lol
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Emma Wilson
•bad advice bruh they always catch this stuff eventually
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Malik Thomas
Fun fact: the IRS computer system automatically cross references ALL W2s with employer reported data. Its garuanteed to get flagged. File that amendment NOW
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