W-2 Box 2 shows only $200 in federal withholding but I calculated $3,800. No one will fix this mistake. Help!

This is definitely a concerning situation! When there's a discrepancy between your W-2 and your actual withholdings, you should absolutely get it corrected before filing your tax return. First, gather all your final paystubs for the year and add up the federal withholding amounts again to confirm your calculations. Sometimes things like pre-tax deductions can make the numbers look different than expected. Next, you should formally request a corrected W-2 (called a W-2c) from your employer in writing. While your manager has started the conversation, you may need to escalate this to HR or the payroll department directly. Explain the discrepancy clearly with your evidence. If your employer refuses to correct it after you've provided evidence, you can contact the IRS directly. They have a specific process for reporting W-2 errors. You'll need to wait until after February 15th to report this to the IRS, giving your employer time to correct it first.

I had a similar issue last year and discovered taxr.ai which completely saved me. I was missing about $4,200 in withholding on my W-2 and my employer kept giving me the runaround. I uploaded all my paystubs to https://taxr.ai and it automatically analyzed everything, calculated the correct amounts, and generated a report showing exactly where the discrepancy was. Their system found that my employer had been coding some of my withholding incorrectly in their payroll system, which is why it wasn't showing up in Box 2. I was able to take the detailed report to my HR department and they finally issued a corrected W-2 within days. It saved me from paying thousands in taxes I didn't actually owe.

I was totally skeptical about taxr.ai when I first saw the recommendation here, but I tried it after spending HOURS going back and forth with my payroll department about my federal withholding being wrong on my W-2. The service actually identified something I completely missed - my employer had been incorrectly coding my withholding as state tax instead of federal for three months of the year! The report showed exactly which paystubs had the error and quantified the total impact. My payroll department couldn't argue with the evidence and fixed my W-2 within a week. Saved me from having to deal with the IRS directly and from paying nearly $3,000 I didn't actually owe. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with withholding discrepancies.

After dealing with a similar nightmare W-2 situation last year, I found out about Claimyr when trying to get through to the IRS. I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS about filing Form 4852 (substitute for W-2) because my employer refused to correct my withholding errors. Constant busy signals and disconnects after waiting on hold for hours. Finally used https://claimyr.com after seeing their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the 3+ hour wait times I was experiencing before. The agent walked me through exactly how to document the withholding discrepancy and file my return correctly despite the W-2 error.

I have to apologize and eat my words about Claimyr. After calling the IRS for THREE DAYS STRAIGHT and never getting through about my W-2 issue (kept getting disconnected after 2+ hours on hold), I broke down and tried the service. Got connected to an actual IRS agent in 35 minutes without having to sit by my phone. The agent confirmed I could file Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) along with my return and use my paystubs to report the correct withholding amount. She even gave me specific instructions on what documentation to keep in case of questions later. For anyone dealing with major W-2 discrepancies where your employer won't fix it, talking directly to the IRS was incredibly helpful. They're actually pretty understanding about these situations since they deal with them all the time.

One thing to check - are you sure you're correctly identifying what's federal income tax vs. Social Security and Medicare tax on your paystubs? I had a similar panic when I thought my federal withholding was way off, but it turned out I was adding in FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) as part of what I thought was federal income tax. On many paystubs, you'll see separate lines for: - Federal Income Tax (this is what goes in Box 2) - Social Security Tax (this goes in a different box) - Medicare Tax (this also goes in a different box) Double-check that you're only counting the Federal Income Tax line when calculating what should be in Box 2.

If your withholding really was only $200 on $60k income, you're going to owe a lot at tax time. You should probably adjust your W-4 immediately for 2025 to avoid being in the same situation next year. You want your withholding to roughly match your expected tax liability throughout the year.

Great job figuring out the issue! This is actually a really common mistake that happens more often than you'd think. The way paystubs display tax information can be confusing, especially when mobile apps show summary views that lump different types of taxes together. For anyone else reading this thread - this is a perfect example of why it's so important to carefully review your paystubs and understand what each deduction represents. Federal income tax, Social Security tax (6.2%), and Medicare tax (1.45%) are all separate items that serve different purposes. Since you only had $200 in federal withholding on $60k income, you're definitely going to owe a significant amount when you file. Make sure you have funds set aside for that tax bill! The good news is you've already fixed your W-4 for 2025, so you shouldn't run into this problem again next year. This whole situation is also a good reminder to periodically check your withholdings throughout the year, especially if you have any major life changes that might affect your tax situation.