How to get tax refund with no federal withholding? Is it possible?

You've got a couple of misunderstandings here that I should clear up for you. First, regarding your refund question - a tax refund happens when you've paid MORE federal tax throughout the year than what you actually owe. Since you haven't had any federal income tax withheld, it's unlikely you'll get a refund unless you qualify for refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Credit or Child Tax Credit. In fact, you'll probably owe money when you file. Second, about Social Security - you can't adjust this on your W-4. The Social Security tax rate is fixed at 6.2% of your wages (up to the annual wage base limit). The Medicare portion is another 1.45%. These FICA taxes are separate from federal income tax withholding. What you need to do is submit a new W-4 to your employer ASAP. The current W-4 form doesn't use allowances anymore - instead, you'll need to complete the form accurately based on your situation. This will ensure federal income taxes are properly withheld going forward.

I had almost the exact same situation last year and was totally freaking out. Then I discovered https://taxr.ai and it was a game changer for me. What I like about it is that you can upload your paystubs and it analyzes your withholding situation right away. It showed me exactly what was happening with my withholding and gave me a personalized plan to fix it. The tool gave me a clear projection of what I would owe and even helped me fill out a new W-4 correctly. I was able to adjust my withholding for the rest of the year and it calculated exactly how much extra I needed to have withheld from each remaining paycheck to avoid owing a huge amount at tax time.

I was super skeptical about using taxr.ai when I first saw it mentioned here, but I was in a similar situation with messed up withholding and getting desperate. Honestly, it was way more helpful than I expected. The breakdown of what was happening with my taxes made it clear why I wasn't having enough withheld, and the step-by-step correction plan was exactly what I needed. What really surprised me was how it projected different scenarios based on when I fixed my W-4. I could see exactly how much I'd save by fixing things sooner rather than later. I ended up still owing some taxes, but WAY less than what I would have without fixing my withholding for the last few months of the year.

If you're struggling to get answers about your tax situation, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a complete panic when I realized my employer hadn't been withholding ANY federal taxes all year. I spent hours trying to reach the IRS directly with no luck. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS rep in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The IRS agent walked me through exactly what I needed to do to fix my withholding and how to handle the situation to minimize penalties. They even helped me set up a payment plan since I knew I'd owe a significant amount. There's a video that shows how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Seriously saved me from a tax nightmare.

I need to eat some humble pie here. After my skeptical comment, I actually went ahead and tried Claimyr because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my messed up withholding situation. I'm honestly shocked that it worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back in about 20 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS representative. The agent was able to pull up my tax records and give me specific advice about my withholding issues. She even helped me calculate how much I would likely owe based on my year-to-date income and lack of withholding. If you're in a similar situation with no federal withholding, talking directly to the IRS can save you a lot of stress and guesswork. They walked me through filling out a new W-4 correctly and explained my options for making up the shortfall before tax season.

Don't forget you might be eligible for some tax credits that could offset what you owe or even get you a refund despite having no withholding! Depending on your income level, you might qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. And if you have kids, the Child Tax Credit could help a lot. Also look into education credits if you paid tuition or the Retirement Savings Contribution Credit if you contributed to a retirement account. You might want to look into making an estimated tax payment before the end of the year too. This could help avoid an underpayment penalty when you file.

Just wanted to add - don't forget to check your state withholding too! I had a similar issue where federal taxes weren't being withheld properly, but I assumed my state taxes were fine. Turned out those were messed up too and I ended up owing to both federal AND state. Double check everything on your paystub!

This exact situation happened to me two years ago and I was absolutely panicking! Here's what I learned the hard way: First, you're right to be concerned - you'll likely owe money at tax time since no federal taxes were withheld. But it's not the end of the world if you act quickly. Submit a new W-4 to your employer IMMEDIATELY to start withholding federal taxes from your remaining paychecks this year. Second, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to figure out roughly how much you'll owe. Once you know that number, consider making estimated tax payments before year-end to reduce the amount you'll owe when filing. A few things that helped me: I increased my federal withholding significantly for the last few months of the year (you can request additional amounts be withheld beyond the standard calculation). I also made sure to track any tax credits I might qualify for - they can really help offset what you owe. The most important thing is don't wait! Every paycheck that goes by without proper federal withholding just makes the problem worse. I ended up owing about $3,200 that year, but it would have been much worse if I hadn't caught it when I did.