Federal taxes withheld section is blank on my W-2... what does this mean?

But wouldn't the employer be required to withhold something regardless? I thought that was like... the law or something? Also, if OP does end up owing money, will they get hit with a penalty for not having anything withheld throughout the year?

I just checked my last paystub and you're right - it shows $0 for federal withholding for the total year-to-date. But I swear I filled out my W-4 normally! I didn't claim exempt or anything special. Is it possible they just ignored my W-4 completely?

Employers are required to withhold based on the information provided on the W-4, but there are situations where withholding might be $0 legitimately - particularly for part-time or seasonal work with lower income. The withholding tables take into account the standard deduction ($13,850 for single filers in 2023), so if your projected annual income was below that threshold, it's possible no withholding was required. Regarding penalties, you generally won't face an underpayment penalty if you owe less than $1,000 in tax, or if you had no tax liability last year. Since this was summer work and your total income was $8,750, you might still be under the standard deduction threshold, meaning you may not owe any federal income tax at all.

Does it work with digital paystubs? My company uses ADP and I only have PDFs of everything. Also, is it secure? I'm always nervous about uploading financial docs online.

Sounds interesting but how is it different from just going to a tax professional? I'm dealing with something similar where my state tax withholding is way off and I'm trying to figure out the best way to sort it out.

Yes, it works perfectly with PDF paystubs - that's actually what I used myself since my company uses Workday. The system is designed to read digital documents and does a really good job with the standard formats from payroll systems like ADP. As for security, they use bank-level encryption for all document uploads and analysis. I was nervous about that too, but they explain their security measures on the site, and they don't store your documents long-term after the analysis is complete. Compared to a tax professional, it's much faster and more accessible when you just need to understand what's happening with a specific tax document. Tax pros are great for complex situations, but for document analysis and verification like this, the automated tool gives you immediate answers without having to schedule an appointment or pay their hourly rates.

Wait how does this actually work? Does it just call the IRS for you or something? I don't understand what the service actually does.

Sorry but this sounds like total BS. Nothing can get you through to the IRS faster. They're notoriously understaffed and their phone systems are overwhelmed. No way some service can magically make the IRS pick up.

It doesn't call the IRS for you - it holds your place in the phone queue so you don't have to wait on hold yourself. The service continually redials and navigates the IRS phone tree until it gets through to an agent, then it calls you and connects you directly. You just answer your phone when they've secured a live agent rather than spending hours listening to hold music. The technology works by essentially automating the tedious process of waiting on hold and navigating the phone menus. It's not "making the IRS pick up faster" - it's just doing the waiting for you. The IRS phone systems disconnect calls after certain time periods, but this service keeps trying until it gets through, which can sometimes take many attempts that would be frustrating to do manually.

Do you know if this would also apply to state taxes? My W-2 has federal withheld but my state box is blank. I live in a state with income tax so I'm confused.

State withholding works on different rules depending on your state. Some states follow federal withholding patterns, while others have their own withholding tables and minimums. If your federal has withholding but state doesn't, it could be that your employer isn't registered to withhold taxes in your state, or there's a specific threshold in your state that your income didn't reach. You should definitely contact your employer's payroll department to verify - state withholding errors are actually more common than federal ones. Either way, you'll still need to file a state return if your state has income tax and determine if you owe anything, regardless of what was withheld.

That's not entirely accurate. Even if you're under the standard deduction, you still have to file a return if you had any federal tax withheld that you want refunded. Also, if you have self-employment income over $400, you still have to file regardless of the standard deduction threshold.

@Cass Green is right - even if you don t'owe taxes, you should still file to make sure everything is properly documented with the IRS. Plus, if you re'eligible for any credits like the Earned Income Credit, you could actually get money back even with zero withholding. @Simon White - definitely call your employer first though. Summer jobs at small companies sometimes have payroll issues, and it s better'to get a corrected W-2 now than deal with amended returns later. The standard deduction for 2023 was $13,850, so you re well'under that, but you still want accurate records.