Question: My W2 shows Decision HR (payroll company) as employer instead of actual company - they're out of state!

Wait, I'm confused. If Decision HR is technically my employer according to the W2, wouldn't I need to pay taxes where they're located? My husband had something similar and he had to file in two states. Also, what exactly is a PEO? I've never heard that term before.

The PEO (Professional Employer Organization) is a co-employer for administrative purposes, but for tax purposes, what matters is where you physically performed the work. Your husband's situation was likely different - perhaps he actually worked in multiple states or had other factors involved. A PEO is basically a company that handles HR functions like payroll, benefits, and compliance for other businesses. They technically become a co-employer so they can legally manage these services, but this administrative relationship doesn't change where your work was physically performed, which is what determines state taxation in most cases.

How exactly does this taxr.ai thing work? Can it help if my employer screwed up and actually put the wrong state withholding info on my W2? My company uses ADP which is based in New Jersey but I work in Texas.

Is it actually worth using? I've tried other tax help tools before and they usually just give generic advice I could find on Google. Does it actually look at your specific documents and give personalized advice?

It analyzes your actual tax documents when you upload them and gives specific advice based on what it sees. For example, it identified my PEO situation and explained exactly which boxes to check on my state forms to make sure everything was filed correctly. Yes, it's definitely more helpful than generic advice because it's looking at your actual documents and highlighting specific issues. In my case, it spotted that despite having an out-of-state PEO, my state tax withholding was correct and I didn't need to file in multiple states.

How does this Claimyr thing actually work? It sounds sketchy tbh. Like, how are they getting you through to the IRS when nobody else can get through?

Yeah right, I've been trying to reach the IRS for THREE MONTHS about my identity verification issues. There's no way someone can magically get you through. Sounds like a scam to me. If it worked, everyone would be using it.

It basically places calls for you and uses their system to navigate the IRS phone tree, then notifies you when they've got an agent on the line. It's not sketchy - they're just automating the calling and waiting process so you don't have to do it. No, it's definitely not a scam. I was extremely skeptical too, but it literally just automates the process of repeatedly calling and navigating the phone tree until it gets through. Then it calls you and connects you to the agent. I wasted hours trying to get through on my own before trying it. I understand the skepticism - I felt the same way!

Thanks for this! I just double-checked and Box 15 does say Indiana, with Indiana state tax withholding listed in Box 17. So it sounds like even though the employer name and address is the Arizona company, I should be ok just filing in Indiana?

Yes, that's exactly right. Since Box 15 shows Indiana and Box 17 shows Indiana state tax withholding, you only need to file Indiana state taxes. The employer name being an Arizona company doesn't change where you performed the work and where you owe state taxes. The PEO is just handling the administrative side of employment - your actual tax situation is based on where you physically worked, which is reflected in those state boxes on your W2.

If the PEO messes up something on my W2, who's responsible for fixing it? My actual employer or the PEO? My work uses TriNet and they put the wrong social security number on my W2 last year and nobody would take responsibility for fixing it.

The PEO is typically responsible for fixing W2 errors since they're the ones who issued it as your "employer of record." However, your actual employer should help facilitate getting it corrected since they have the relationship with the PEO. In your case with TriNet, you should have been able to contact TriNet directly to request a corrected W2-C form. If they refused, your actual employer should have escalated it with TriNet on your behalf. This is exactly why it's important to understand the PEO relationship - both parties have responsibilities but the PEO handles the tax document corrections.

Thanks for sharing your experience! This is really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing. I was definitely panicking about having to deal with multiple states. Did you run into any issues when filing, or did everything go smoothly once you confirmed the state information was correct on your W2? I'm still a bit nervous about making sure I don't miss anything important.

I haven't personally been audited for a PEO situation, but from what I understand, it's actually pretty standard and shouldn't raise any red flags with the IRS as long as your W2 information is accurate. The PEO arrangement is a legitimate business structure that many companies use. Since your W2 correctly shows Florida in the state boxes, you should be fine filing only in Florida. The IRS sees these PEO situations all the time - they're becoming increasingly common as more companies outsource their HR functions. As long as your state withholding and work location information is correct on your W2, there shouldn't be any hidden complications. That said, using something like taxr.ai for peace of mind isn't a bad idea, especially if you're feeling anxious about it. Better to double-check and feel confident than to worry about it through tax season!