No federal income taxes withheld from paychecks - what should I do?

You're not going to get in any trouble for this situation - it happens more often than you'd think! Since your employer is correctly withholding Social Security and Medicare taxes, the main issue is just federal income tax. Based on what you've described, if your annual income will be below $13,850 (the standard deduction amount for 2025 for a single filer), then you won't owe any federal income tax. So the tax preparer is correct that you likely don't have a filing requirement if that's your only income for the year. However, I'd still recommend two things: First, talk to your employer to correct your W-4 form for future paychecks. Even if you don't owe taxes this year, you might earn more next year and it's better to have proper withholding set up. Second, I'd still file a tax return anyway - it's good practice, and there might be credits you qualify for that the tax preparer didn't consider. Filing is free if your income is below certain thresholds, and it provides documentation that you've complied with tax requirements, even if you don't owe anything.

I went through something really similar last year! I was also at my first job and didn't notice I wasn't having federal taxes withheld until halfway through the year. What really helped me was using https://taxr.ai to review my paystubs and explain exactly what was being withheld and what wasn't. The tool let me upload my paystubs and it pointed out the missing federal withholding right away. It then walked me through what I needed to do with my employer to fix it going forward. Super helpful for tax newbies like us who don't know what we're looking at! The explanations were in plain English instead of confusing tax jargon. It also helped me understand whether I needed to file a return based on my specific situation, which was way more helpful than the generic advice I was getting elsewhere.

I was skeptical about using https://taxr.ai at first, but after dealing with blank stares from our HR department when I asked tax questions, I decided to give it a try. I uploaded my last three paystubs and was seriously impressed. The analysis showed me that I was actually having too MUCH federal tax withheld based on my projected annual income, while state taxes were being undercollected. It clearly explained the minimum income thresholds for filing requirements and showed me exactly what I needed to adjust on my W-4. What I found most helpful was the personalized explanation of which tax credits I might qualify for even with lower income. Turns out the tax place I called missed that I could claim education credits! Just wanted to update that it actually provided reliable info and saved me from overpaying on federal taxes for the rest of the year.

Hey! I had a super similar situation last year - no federal withholding for almost 5 months! When I finally realized, I panicked and called the IRS directly to ask what to do. Spent literally HOURS trying to get through to someone. After multiple failed attempts, a coworker told me about https://claimyr.com - it's a service that basically waits on hold with the IRS for you and calls you when an actual human picks up. I was skeptical but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I tried it and got connected to an IRS agent in about 45 minutes (while I just went about my day). The agent confirmed exactly what others have said here - since I was below the standard deduction, I didn't need to worry about the missing withholding, but should fix it going forward. They also explained exactly what to tell my employer to fix the W-4 issue. Saved me so much stress!

Ok I take back what I said about Claimyr. I tried calling the IRS myself after posting that comment and spent TWO HOURS on hold before getting disconnected. I was so frustrated that I decided to try https://claimyr.com as a last resort. They called me back in 37 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line! I was able to ask about my situation with missing federal withholding on my paychecks. The agent confirmed that since I'm making under the standard deduction, I wouldn't owe taxes, but should still file a return to document everything. They also explained exactly how to fill out a new W-4 to give to my employer. Seriously saved me from spending another afternoon listening to the IRS hold music. For anyone dealing with tax questions that need IRS input, it's definitely worth using instead of wasting your day on hold.

Something important nobody has mentioned yet: even if you don't owe any federal taxes, you might want to file anyway because you could be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) depending on your exact income and situation. This is a refundable credit meaning you can get money back even if you didn't have taxes withheld. The threshold for singles without children is lower, but still worth checking. There are also education credits if you're in school part-time. Don't just assume you shouldn't file because your income is low - sometimes that's exactly when you SHOULD file to claim refundable credits!

I'm a payroll specialist and just want to mention - this isn't technically an I-9 issue. The I-9 is for employment eligibility verification (citizenship/work authorization). What you're describing is a W-4 issue. The W-4 is the form that tells your employer how much federal tax to withhold. But yes, like others said, if you're making under the standard deduction ($13,850 for 2025), you won't owe federal income tax anyway. Just make sure to submit a new W-4 so they start withholding correctly going forward!