Received IRS 2802C letter about my W4 - claimed "single" with no deductions. What's wrong?

The 2802C letter is basically the IRS questioning your withholding instructions. Even though you marked "Single" and left everything blank, there could be a few things triggering this: First, the IRS might be comparing your current W4 to your tax filing history. Since you mentioned not filing 2023 taxes yet, that's likely the main issue. The IRS systems flag discrepancies between withholding instructions and past filing patterns. Second, if you had previous jobs this year with different withholding instructions, that could also trigger this notice. The simplest fix is to: 1) File your 2023 taxes ASAP, and 2) Confirm with your employer that your W4 is filled out correctly. You might need to submit a new W4 form with the same information to satisfy the IRS requirement. When talking to your employer, just be straightforward - tell them you received a 2802C letter and need to verify your W4 information. The payroll department has seen this before.

After spending hours trying to figure out my own withholding mess last year, I finally broke down and used taxr.ai to analyze my tax documents and withholding status. Uploaded my W4, past returns, and the IRS notices I'd received (including a 2802C just like yours), and it explained exactly why the IRS was flagging my account. For me, it was because I had multiple jobs but wasn't accounting for the combined income on each W4, so my withholding was way off. The tool at https://taxr.ai showed me exactly what to fix and gave me the correct numbers to put on my new W4. My employer's HR department actually commented on how thorough my documentation was when I submitted the corrected form. I think they have a free analysis option if you're just trying to understand a specific notice like your 2802C.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after asking about it here and it completely clarified my tax situation! I uploaded my 1099s and some confusing IRS notices I'd been getting about estimated payments. The system immediately identified that I was using the wrong calculation method for my quarterly payments. The analysis explained exactly why the IRS was sending me notices and showed me how to fix it going forward. I didn't even need to pay for anything beyond the free analysis since my situation was pretty straightforward. Definitely recommend for anyone trying to decode IRS notices without spending hundreds on a professional.

If you're still getting nowhere with resolving this 2802C letter, you might need to actually talk to someone at the IRS. I was in a similar situation with a different notice and spent WEEKS trying to get through to a human being. After 20+ attempts and hours on hold, I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an IRS agent in under 45 minutes. I was super skeptical at first, but honestly it was the only thing that worked. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they use some tech to navigate the IRS phone system and hold your place in line. When I finally talked to an agent, they explained exactly what triggered my notice and gave me clear instructions for my employer. Check them out at https://claimyr.com if you're tired of the hold music and disconnections. Seriously saved my sanity.

I have to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still dealing with my own IRS notice issues and getting nowhere after a dozen attempts calling directly. Out of desperation, I tried the service. Not only did it work, but I got connected to an IRS agent who actually knew exactly what was happening with my account. Turns out my 2802C letter (yes, I had the same issue as OP) was triggered because I had switched jobs mid-year and the combined income put me in a different tax bracket than my W4 indicated. The agent walked me through exactly what to put on my new W4 to fix the issue. Whole thing took about 20 minutes once I was connected. Can't believe I wasted weeks trying to handle this on my own.

I had almost this exact same situation last year. For me, it turned out that my employer had submitted my W-4 with an error - they had somehow checked the "Multiple Jobs" box even though I never marked it. Double check with your HR/payroll that what you submitted matches what they actually entered in their system! Sometimes the issue isn't with what you did, but with how your information was processed. My payroll person was super apologetic when they discovered they'd made the data entry error.

One thing nobody's mentioned - if you worked multiple jobs last year or this year, or if you have a spouse who also works, the "Single" with nothing else filled out might still not withhold enough according to the IRS calculations. The new W-4 (since 2020) handles multiple income sources differently than the old forms. Might be worth using the IRS withholding estimator online to see if your selection actually aligns with your full tax situation. I got flagged for similar reasons until I properly accounted for my side gig income.

I went through something very similar last year! The thing that helped me was actually calling the specific phone number listed on the 2802C letter itself - it's different from the main IRS line and tends to have shorter wait times since fewer people know about it. When I finally got through, the agent explained that my letter was triggered because I had changed employers mid-year and my new employer's payroll system showed a different withholding pattern than what the IRS expected based on my previous filings. Even though my W-4 was technically correct, the timing of the job change made it look suspicious to their automated systems. The agent told me I could either submit a written explanation with supporting documents (pay stubs, previous W-4 forms) or just file my 2023 taxes to clear up the discrepancy. Since you mentioned you haven't filed 2023 yet, that's probably your quickest path to resolution. Once your return is processed, these automated flags usually clear themselves. Don't stress too much about explaining it to your employer - just tell them you need to verify your W-4 information due to an IRS notice. Most payroll departments deal with this more often than you'd think.