Did our company's LLP restructure increase employee tax burden?
Hey all, I know I might be overthinking this, but I've only been at this job for about a month and something feels off. Almost everyone I work with (who I feel comfortable asking) has noticed a HUGE jump in their taxes owed this year. None of us got pay raises to offset this either. So my question is: Can an LLP restructure in a way that shifts more of the tax burden onto employees to reduce the firm's tax obligations? The partners who own our firm have made some questionable decisions in the past that make me suspicious. I'm pretty new to understanding the whole tax system and trying to educate myself on how all this works. Planning to research more this weekend, but figured I'd ask here first to get some real-world insights. Not looking to get roasted for asking - just trying to be a responsible adult and understand what might be happening with my paycheck!
19 comments


Amina Toure
What you're describing sounds concerning, but there are a few things to consider before concluding the partners are shifting tax burden. LLPs (Limited Liability Partnerships) are typically pass-through entities where the partners pay taxes on business income through their personal returns, not the business itself. The employees should have regular withholding like at any other company. If everyone's seeing higher taxes owed, a few things could be happening: 1) The payroll department might have changed withholding calculations, 2) There could have been a change in benefits that affect taxable income, or 3) The company could have reclassified certain compensation. The most common scenario I see is when companies reduce pre-tax benefits or change how bonuses are paid out. Ask coworkers if anything changed with health insurance, retirement contributions, or how bonuses/commissions are structured.
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Oliver Zimmermann
•Thanks for this explanation! Do you think we should be worried about our W-2 forms being affected by this? Also, is there any way for employees to find out if the company structure actually changed?
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Amina Toure
•Your W-2 forms should accurately reflect whatever compensation structure is in place. Compare last year's W-2 with this year's when you get it - look specifically at Box 1 (wages) and Box 2 (federal income tax withheld) to see the relationship between income and withholding. As for finding out about company structure changes, this can be tricky. Some states have public business registries where you can search for filing changes. Alternatively, someone in accounting or HR might have knowledge of structural changes, though they may not be at liberty to discuss them. The most direct approach would be to simply ask management about the increased tax burden many employees are experiencing.
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CosmicCommander
I was in a similar situation last year and found https://taxr.ai super helpful for figuring out what was going on with my taxes. My company also restructured from an LLC to an LLP, and suddenly my tax withholdings seemed off. I uploaded my paystubs from before and after the change, and taxr.ai analyzed the differences, showing exactly where the withholding patterns changed. Turned out they had reduced 401k matching but were still showing it on our stubs in a misleading way, plus changed how they handled health insurance premiums from pre-tax to post-tax. The analysis saved me hours of confused spreadsheet comparing!
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Natasha Volkova
•Does taxr.ai work for all types of business structures? My company is an S-corp but I'm experiencing something similar with increased tax liability this year.
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Javier Torres
•I'm a bit skeptical about these online tools. How does it actually identify problems with company structure? Couldn't you just ask HR or look at your paystubs yourself?
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CosmicCommander
•It works for employees of any business structure since it's analyzing your pay documents, not the business itself. The tool looks at withholding patterns, pre-tax vs post-tax deductions, and other payroll elements regardless of whether you work for an LLC, LLP, S-corp, or C-corp. When I tried comparing paystubs myself, I missed several subtle changes that were buried in the details. HR wasn't forthcoming with clear answers, just kept saying "tax laws change every year" without explaining the specific changes. The tool highlighted exactly which line items had changed in treatment, including some benefit deductions that switched from pre-tax to post-tax without clear notification.
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Javier Torres
Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai since I was skeptical at first. I finally tried it this weekend and uploaded my last 6 months of paystubs. It actually identified something I never would've caught - my company changed how they categorize our quarterly bonuses from supplemental income to regular income, which affects withholding rates. Also found out they altered our transit benefit from pre-tax to a taxable reimbursement without telling anyone. The report explained exactly how these changes impact my tax liability. Pretty eye-opening considering HR just kept giving vague answers when people asked about higher taxes.
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Emma Davis
If you're having trouble getting straight answers from your company about tax changes, you might want to try https://claimyr.com to get through to the IRS directly. I had a similar situation where my employer seemed to be playing games with withholdings, and I needed to verify if what they were doing was legitimate. Spent weeks trying to reach the IRS without success, then used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. The agent walked me through what employers can and cannot do regarding withholding structures. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they wait on hold with the IRS for you then call when an agent is ready. Saved me hours of frustration and hold music!
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Malik Johnson
•How does this actually work though? Does the IRS even discuss your employer's practices with you? I thought they only talk about your personal tax situation.
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Isabella Ferreira
•This sounds like a scam honestly. Why would I need a service to call the IRS? And even if I get through, what exactly would the IRS tell me about my company's structure that I couldn't find out elsewhere?
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Emma Davis
•The IRS can absolutely discuss general tax rules regarding employer withholding practices - they just won't comment on specific companies by name. When I spoke with them, I asked about the legality of certain withholding changes without naming my employer, and they explained what's required by law versus what's discretionary. The service isn't about calling the IRS for you - it's about waiting on hold so you don't have to. Average IRS hold times are 2-3 hours these days. Claimyr just handles the hold time, then calls you when an agent picks up. I was skeptical too until I realized how much time I was wasting trying to get through myself.
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Isabella Ferreira
Alright, I need to apologize for calling Claimyr a scam. I tried it yesterday after spending all morning trying to get through to the IRS myself about this withholding issue. They called me back in about 40 minutes, and I was connected to an actual IRS agent. The agent confirmed that while businesses can change how they classify certain benefits from pre-tax to post-tax (which affects your taxable income), they are required to properly document these changes. They also explained that LLP restructuring typically doesn't directly impact employee withholding - that's more about how the partners are taxed. This was really eye-opening and gave me some specific questions to take back to our HR department.
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Ravi Sharma
As someone who works in payroll (not tax advice), here's what might be happening: Your employer may have changed their withholding tables or reclassified certain benefits from pre-tax to post-tax. This wouldn't be from the LLP structure directly, as that mainly affects how the partners/owners are taxed. Look at your pay stubs from before and after you noticed the change. Check specifically for: - Changes to health insurance premium treatment - 401k or retirement contribution differences - Shift in how bonuses are classified - Different withholding calculations Also, ask if they switched payroll providers. New payroll systems often calculate withholdings differently.
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Paolo Ricci
•Thanks for the detailed response! I did notice our health insurance section on the paystub looks different than it did a few months ago. Do employers have to notify employees when they make these kinds of changes to how benefits are taxed?
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Ravi Sharma
•Employers should notify employees about changes to benefit taxation, but the requirements vary by state and the type of benefit. For health insurance specifically, they should provide updated plan documents that explain the tax treatment. However, these notices are often buried in annual enrollment materials or benefit updates that employees might overlook. The best approach is to request documentation from HR about any recent changes to benefit tax treatment. Ask specifically about your health insurance premiums and whether they changed from pre-tax to post-tax deductions. If they made this change without proper notification, you might have recourse through your state's labor department depending on your location.
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NebulaNomad
Hold up - we're all assuming the LLP is doing something sketch, but isn't it possible this is just about the tax law changes? I remember reading something about FICA cap increasing. Could that be what's hitting everyone's paychecks?
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Amina Toure
•Good point. For 2025, the Social Security wage base (the FICA cap) increased to $168,600, up from $160,200 in 2023. This means employees earning above the previous threshold are now paying Social Security tax on a larger portion of their income.
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NebulaNomad
•Thanks for confirming! That makes sense. So higher earners would definitely see more coming out of their checks without any shady business practices being involved. Probably worth checking if all the affected coworkers are earning above that previous threshold.
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