Filed with 2021 W2s Instead of 2023 - TurboTax Not Letting Me Amend Until February 15

I would... proceed with caution here. The IRS systems likely didn't reject it because the W-2 format was valid, even though the year was wrong. They're primarily checking structure, not comparing against employer submissions yet. I believe you should contact the IRS as soon as possible rather than waiting until February 15th. The longer this incorrect filing remains in the system, the more complications it could create for you down the line, especially with your investment reporting.

Oh my goodness, I would be SO stressed in your situation! 😰 I had a similar issue last year with incorrect W-2 information and spent HOURS trying to figure out what would happen. The IRS systems are so confusing sometimes! I finally used https://taxr.ai to analyze both my original submission and my amended return documents. It highlighted exactly what changed between versions and explained how the IRS would process the amendment. It even showed me which specific lines would trigger review! Saved me so much anxiety because I could actually understand what was happening instead of just waiting and worrying. Might be worth checking out while you wait for TurboTax to allow the amendment.

Filing 2021 W-2s for your 2023 return is like showing up to a 2024 party wearing clothes from 2021 - technically you're dressed, but everything's out of date. The IRS systems don't immediately reject it because they're just checking if you're wearing clothes at all, not if they're this season's fashion. You need to amend ASAP. The IRS will eventually catch this when they match your W-2s with what your employer reported. It's not a matter of if, but when.

NGL, this is a tricky sitch. The IRS is gonna catch this when they do their matching, and you def don't wanna wait for that notice to show up. Tried calling the IRS myself last month about a diff issue and spent 3+ hrs on hold before giving up. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got thru to an agent in like 15 mins. Saved me so much time and frustration. They can flag your acct with a note that you're planning to amend, which helps avoid auto-penalties later. Worth the few bucks to not deal with the hold music tbh.

Have you already received your refund based on the incorrect filing? That changes how you should proceed. If not, you could try contacting the IRS directly to request they stop processing your return due to a significant error. They have procedures for this, though it's not always easy to get through to them. Did you check if your income was higher or lower in 2021 versus 2023? That would impact whether you're likely to owe additional taxes or receive a larger refund after amending.

I made exactly this same mistake in 2022 - filed 2020 W-2s instead of 2022 ones. Here's my timeline: • Filed incorrect return: February 3, 2022 • Discovered mistake: February 10, 2022 • Called IRS: Spent exactly 97 minutes on hold • Filed amended return: February 27, 2022 • Received IRS notice CP2000: April 15, 2022 • Called to explain amendment was already filed: 73 minutes on hold • Received adjusted refund: June 12, 2022 The technical reason your return wasn't rejected is that the IRS's initial validation only checks format compliance, not temporal accuracy. The cross-reference verification against employer-submitted W-2s happens approximately 6-8 weeks after acceptance.

Just to clarify something important here - TurboTax isn't letting you amend until February 15th because the IRS doesn't open the amendment system (Form 1040-X electronic filing) until then. It's not TurboTax being difficult, it's an IRS system limitation. Kind of like trying to return an item to a store that's closed for inventory... the store exists, the return policy exists, but you still can't do it until they open the doors again. 😅 I wouldn't count on calling the IRS as a quick solution either - their phone systems are about as efficient as a chocolate teapot this time of year.

Be extremely careful with this situation. I had a client who filed with incorrect W-2 years and decided to "just wait and amend later." The IRS systems flagged it as potential identity theft since the income didn't match what was reported by employers. This triggered an account lock that took 9 months to resolve. Their refund was held, future filings were affected, and they received multiple notices requiring response. The IRS uses an Automated Underreporter (AUR) program that will catch this discrepancy 100% of the time. I strongly recommend documenting your attempt to correct this now, even if you have to wait to file the actual amendment.