Totally missed checking my withholding and now I owe big for 2024 taxes

First, take a deep breath! This happens to a lot of people, especially after job changes or pay increases. You've identified the problem correctly - when both spouses work and you select "married filing jointly" without accounting for the multiple jobs, your withholding can be way off. For your immediate situation, yes, you can absolutely set up a payment plan with the IRS. The process is pretty straightforward. If you can pay the full amount within 120 days, you can request a short-term payment plan online with no setup fee. If you need longer, you can request a long-term installment agreement with a modest setup fee. For fixing your withholding going forward, you should submit a new W-4 to your employer ASAP. There are a few ways to handle the "two-earner" situation: check the box in Step 2 for multiple jobs, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator online to get more precise numbers, or do the worksheet on the W-4 itself.

I was in almost the exact same boat last year! After spinning my wheels trying to figure it all out myself, I finally used taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was seriously a game-changer. I uploaded my W-2 and last year's return, and it immediately identified why I was underpaying and calculated exactly how to fix my withholding going forward. The coolest part was it showed me specific options for my payment plan based on my situation, and even helped me understand if I qualified for penalty abatement. The system walks you through everything step by step so you don't miss anything. Saved me hours of stressing and probably a few hundred in penalties!

Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was exactly what I needed! I was seriously confused about how to handle my underpayment situation with multiple W-2s, and the analysis tool immediately spotted that I had been claiming the wrong filing status all year. It walked me through fixing my W-4 with the correct withholding amounts and helped me set up a 12-month payment plan that actually works with my budget. The penalty calculator was super helpful too - showed me I was eligible for first-time abatement which will save me about $180. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the same boat!

If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about your situation (which I'd recommend for setting up the payment plan), good luck getting through their phone system! After three days of trying and waiting on hold for HOURS, I finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) - they have this cool system that basically waits on hold with the IRS for you and calls you when an actual human agent is on the line. Check out how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super skeptical at first, but they got me connected with an IRS agent in about 45 minutes (while I just went about my day), and I was able to get my payment plan sorted out, plus they helped me understand exactly what penalties I was facing. Total game changer when you're already stressed about owing money!

I have to come back and admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still stuck trying to get through to the IRS about my own tax issue (had a similar withholding problem but with self-employment taxes). Got frustrated enough to try it, and it actually worked exactly as advertised. Their system called me back about an hour later with an IRS agent already on the line. The agent helped me set up a payment plan in about 15 minutes, and I even qualified for reduced penalties. No scam, no identity theft, just saved me from wasting an entire afternoon on hold. Definitely using this again next time I need to call any government agency with ridiculous wait times!

Pro tip on fixing your withholding: If you and your spouse both work, the simplest way to handle it is to check the box in Step 2(c) of the W-4 form that says "If there are only two jobs total..." This basically tells your employer to withhold at a higher single rate. It's not perfectly precise but it's way better than what you were doing. Or if you want to be more accurate, use the IRS Withholding Estimator tool and it'll give you the exact extra amount to put on line 4(c) for additional withholding per paycheck.

Have you thought about asking for an extension? Filing Form 4868 gives you until October to FILE, but important note - it DOESN'T give you an extension to PAY. You'd still need to pay what you estimate you owe by April 15 to avoid additional penalties and interest.