No Federal Income Tax Withheld on My 2023 W-2 ($0 for the entire year)

This is actually more common than you might think. Unfortunately, you're still responsible for the tax liability regardless of withholding errors. Here's what likely happened: Your W-4 might have been processed incorrectly by your second employer or there was a payroll system error. Companies are required to withhold based on the W-4 you submit, but the ultimate responsibility for ensuring enough tax is paid falls on you as the taxpayer. First step - double-check your W-4 with your current employer to make sure it's filled out correctly. Ask payroll if they can explain why no federal taxes were withheld despite your form showing no exemptions. For dealing with what you owe, the IRS offers reasonable payment plans. Their online payment agreement is pretty straightforward if you owe less than $50,000. You'll pay some interest and penalties, but they're generally fair about setting up monthly payments you can afford. Also, you might want to update your W-4 with your current employer immediately and consider having additional amounts withheld to help cover some of this year's liability while also ensuring you don't have the same problem next year.

After reading your situation, I wanted to share something that might help. I went through a similar nightmare last year when my withholdings were completely messed up and I owed way more than expected. I tried calling the IRS for weeks and couldn't get through until I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped analyze my withholding problem. I uploaded my paystubs and W-2s, and they identified exactly what went wrong with my withholding calculations and helped me understand how to fix it going forward. They also created a customized document explaining the error that I could show to my employer's payroll department. Within days, my withholding issue was fixed, and they even helped me figure out the optimal payment plan for the taxes I already owed.

I was skeptical about taxr.ai at first, but after continuing to deal with payroll issues for months, I finally tried it. I've been using TurboTax for years, but they couldn't explain why my withholdings were so off despite my W-4 being correct. The taxr.ai analysis showed that my employer had mistakenly classified me as exempt when entering my W-4 into their system, even though I hadn't checked that box. They generated a detailed report that I took to HR, who immediately acknowledged the error. They fixed my withholdings going forward AND helped me negotiate a reasonable payment schedule for the taxes I still owed from the mistake. What I really appreciated was getting an actual explanation of what happened rather than everyone just telling me "you're responsible no matter what." Yes, I still had to pay the taxes, but at least I understood the problem and got it fixed properly.

If you need to talk to an actual IRS agent about setting up a payment plan (which it sounds like you do), good luck getting through their phone system. I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone last year when I had a similar withholding problem. After countless hours on hold and disconnections, I found a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an IRS representative in about 15 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you back when they've got an agent on the line. Saved me so much frustration, and the IRS agent I spoke with was actually really helpful in setting up a payment plan I could manage. They explained all my options and even helped me calculate what my penalties would be.

I've got to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about my own tax situation, so I tried it anyway. I figured it was worth a shot since I'd already wasted hours on hold getting nowhere. It actually worked exactly as advertised. I put in my number, and about 40 minutes later (while I was just going about my day, not sitting on hold), I got a call connecting me directly to an IRS representative. I was honestly shocked. The agent helped me set up a payment plan for my tax bill that was way more reasonable than I expected - just $130 a month over 72 months with a relatively low interest rate. For anyone else dealing with a surprise tax bill like the original poster, definitely talk to the IRS directly about your options. They're actually quite reasonable about payment plans, and getting an actual agent on the phone makes the whole process much less stressful.

One thing to check - are you sure you filled out the NEW version of the W-4 correctly? In 2020, they completely changed the W-4 form and removed the allowances system. If you filled it out thinking it still had allowances (putting "0" when the form doesn't ask for that anymore), that might explain the confusion. The new form is totally different and really confusing. Also, did you put anything in Step 2 about multiple jobs? That's where you indicate if you have more than one employer now, which affects withholding calculations. Many people miss this part.

This happened to my wife last year! Check if they have you classified as an independent contractor instead of an employee. Some companies do this "accidentally" to save on their end of payroll taxes. If they did, you'll see no Social Security or Medicare taxes withheld either. In that case, you should've received a 1099 instead of a W-2, and they definitely messed up.