Employer gave me corrected W2 ONE DAY after I filed with form 4852 - what do I do now?

This happens more often than you'd think! Since you've already filed with Form 4852 and the corrected W2 only shows a $400 difference, I'd recommend waiting for the IRS to process your original return. When the IRS processes both your submitted return and the W2 information from your employer, they'll notice the discrepancy. Since it's a relatively small difference, they'll likely just adjust your refund amount to account for the additional $400 in income (which might reduce your refund slightly from what you calculated). You could also file Form 1040-X (Amended Return) with the correct information, but honestly, in this case, it's probably easier to let the IRS handle it. They'll either send you a notice about the discrepancy or simply adjust your refund. If they do send a notice, you can respond by confirming you now have the corrected W2.

I went through something similar last year with my employer messing up my W2. I was about to pull my hair out until I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped me figure out what to do with the discrepancy. They have this tool that analyzes your tax documents and compares them against each other to spot issues. I uploaded both my incorrect W2 and the corrected one that came late, and it showed me exactly what changed and how it would affect my return. Saved me from having to guess what the impact would be or waiting months for the IRS to figure it out. The site also explained my options for handling the situation - whether to amend or wait for the IRS adjustment. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to understand how this $400 difference might play out.

Just wanted to follow up and say I tried taxr.ai after seeing this thread. My situation was with a corrected 1099-MISC that came late, and it actually showed me that the correction would trigger an additional child tax credit I wasn't expecting! The document comparison feature was super helpful - it highlighted exactly what changed between my original and corrected forms and calculated the exact tax impact. I wouldn't have realized the full implications without seeing it laid out like that. Ended up filing an amended return based on their guidance and just got confirmation it was processed. Definitely less stressful than my previous experience with tax discrepancies!

If you're still trying to get clarity on this situation from the IRS directly, good luck with that! I spent WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone at the IRS about a similar issue last year. I finally used this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have this system that navigates all the phone menus and holds your place in line, then calls you when an agent is about to pick up. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with told me that with small discrepancies like yours, they usually just adjust the refund amount automatically without requiring you to file an amended return, which saved me a ton of paperwork. Might be worth getting that confirmed for your specific situation.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. I tried it yesterday after posting that skeptical comment because my curiosity got the better of me. I've been trying to reach the IRS for THREE WEEKS about a notice I received. Every time I called, I'd wait for 45+ minutes and then get disconnected. It was infuriating. With Claimyr, I got a call back in about 40 minutes letting me know they had an IRS agent on the line! I was honestly shocked. The agent was able to explain that in cases like yours, they automatically adjust returns when there's a small discrepancy between what you reported and what your employer reported. Saved me hours of frustration and I actually got my question answered. Sometimes being proven wrong is a good thing!

Another option to consider: If you're expecting a refund and the corrected W2 shows MORE income than you reported, you could just wait until you receive your refund based on your filed return, and then file an amended return with the corrected W2. Since you'd owe a bit more tax with the higher income amount, you'd need to pay the difference when you submit the amended return. But this way you'll get most of your refund sooner rather than waiting for everything to be sorted out. I did this last year when I had a similar issue with a late-corrected W2, and it worked fine - got most of my refund promptly, then squared up the difference later.

Has anyone had issues with their employer repeatedly sending incorrect W2s? This is the second year my company has messed up my tax documents. Last year they had to issue THREE corrected W2s before they got it right. I'm wondering if there's any penalty for employers who consistently do this.