Changed marital status but forgot to update W-4. How screwed are we with the IRS?

Don't panic! This is actually a pretty common situation. The good news is that being marked as "Single" on your W-4s means you likely had MORE tax withheld than necessary, not less. Single withholding rates are generally higher than Married Filing Jointly rates, so you might actually get a refund. You should absolutely file as Married Filing Jointly for 2024 - that will almost certainly give you the best tax outcome. The W-4 status only affects how much is withheld throughout the year; it doesn't determine how you actually file your taxes. For filing your actual tax return, just select "Married Filing Jointly" when you prepare your taxes. The IRS doesn't penalize you for overwithholding - they're happy to hold onto your money interest-free! And don't forget to update those W-4s with your employers now for 2025.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! Both my partner and I forgot to update our W-4s after getting married. I was stressing about it until I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure out our situation. It analyzed our withholding situation and showed us we actually were getting a refund! The tool helped me understand that withholding as "single" usually means MORE money taken out of each paycheck, not less. So you're probably in better shape than you think. It also helped us calculate exactly what we should put on our W-4s going forward to get our withholding just right. Definitely check it out - it made the whole process way less stressful.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was actually super helpful! It confirmed that we'd been overwithholding all year (by quite a bit actually) and we'll be getting a nice refund. It also helped me fill out new W-4s for both of us so we won't have this issue next year. The comparison feature really helped me understand why filing jointly makes more sense for our situation. I feel way less stressed now - turns out our mistake wasn't as bad as we thought!

If you're really worried about this and want to talk to someone at the IRS directly, good luck getting through on the phone... I spent HOURS trying to get someone on the line about a similar withholding issue. Then I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the IRS phone system for you and call you when they have an agent on the line. Saved me a ton of frustration. The IRS agent confirmed that filing jointly was the right move for us and that our withholding issue wasn't a problem. Just having that official confirmation made me feel so much better.

Ok I need to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still struggling with my own tax question so I decided to give it a try. It actually connected me to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed exactly what others here were saying - filing as married jointly is almost always better than separate, and withholding at the single rate means you probably had MORE withheld than necessary. They also walked me through filling out new W-4s correctly for this year. I'm still shocked it worked - I've NEVER been able to get through to the IRS before. Saved me from taking a day off work to sit on hold.

One thing nobody mentioned - you should also double-check your state tax withholding! Federal and state taxes are different, and some states have different rules for married couples. We had a similar situation in California and while we were fine on federal, we did end up owing a bit to the state because their married tax brackets work differently.

This might be a dumb question but can't you just file as single since that's what your W-4 says? That's what I did the first year I was married because we forgot to change our W-4s too.

I went through something very similar when I got married in 2023! The anxiety is totally understandable, but you're likely in much better shape than you think. A few key points that helped ease my mind: - Single withholding rates are typically higher than married rates, so you've probably been giving the IRS an interest-free loan all year - Filing status for your tax return is based on your marital status on December 31st, not what your W-4 says - For your income levels ($78K + $65K), married filing jointly will almost certainly be your best option The IRS actually expects situations like this - life changes happen and people don't always update their withholding immediately. As long as you file correctly now (married filing jointly), you should be fine. You might even get a nice refund! Don't forget to update those W-4s with your employers ASAP for 2025 though. You can use the IRS withholding calculator on their website to figure out exactly what to put on the new forms.

I completely understand the panic you're feeling right now! I work as a tax preparer and see this situation ALL the time, especially with newlyweds. The good news is that you're actually in a much better position than you think. Since you've both been withholding at the "Single" rate all year, you've likely had MORE taxes taken out than necessary, not less. Single withholding is more conservative (higher) than Married Filing Jointly withholding. So instead of owing money, you'll probably get a decent refund! For your 2024 tax return, you should definitely file as Married Filing Jointly - this will give you the best tax outcome for your combined income levels. The W-4 status only affects payroll withholding throughout the year; your actual filing status is determined by your marital status on December 31st. A few action items for you: 1. File your 2024 return as Married Filing Jointly (you'll likely get a refund) 2. Update your W-4s with your employers ASAP for 2025 3. Use the IRS withholding calculator to get your 2025 withholding amounts exactly right You haven't done anything wrong - life happens and the IRS understands that people don't always update their paperwork immediately after major life changes. Take a deep breath - you're going to be just fine!