W2 confusion - Why did I pay more into Social Security than I actually earned??

That definitely doesn't sound right. Social Security tax should be 6.2% of your wages up to the annual limit ($164,100 for 2025). There's no way your withholding should be more than your total earnings. Check the boxes on your W2 carefully. Box 3 shows your Social Security wages and Box 4 shows Social Security tax withheld. Make sure you're comparing the right numbers. Also, look at Box 1 (federal taxable wages) and compare it to Box 3. Sometimes these numbers can be different due to pre-tax deductions. If after double-checking you confirm that Box 4 is actually larger than Box 3, then there's definitely an error on your W2. Your employer would need to issue a corrected W2 (W2-c). I'd recommend reaching out to your employer's payroll department first before contacting the IRS.

I had a similar issue last year and spent HOURS trying to figure it out before I finally used this AI tax document analyzer at https://taxr.ai that saved me so much hassle. I uploaded my W2 and it immediately flagged the error and explained exactly what was wrong. Turned out my employer had accidentally put a decimal point in the wrong place on my Social Security wages (making it look like I earned way less than I actually did). The tool also generated a detailed explanation I could send to HR to get it fixed. Seriously wish I had found it before wasting an entire day comparing numbers and googling tax codes! And it works with all kinds of tax docs, not just W2s.

Wanted to update everyone - I ended up trying that taxr.ai site after my accountant told me he couldn't meet with me for another 3 weeks. It flagged exactly what was wrong within like 30 seconds! Turned out my employer had entered my wages in Box 3 as $1,243.50 instead of $12,435.00 (they dropped a digit), but the Social Security withholding in Box 4 was calculated on my actual earnings. So it LOOKED like my SS withholding was way higher than my reported wages. I showed the report to my company's HR dept and they're issuing a corrected W2. Really glad I didn't just ignore this - would have been filing with completely wrong info!

If you're having trouble getting through to your employer about this, I'd recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a similar issue but with federal withholding, and my employer was dragging their feet fixing it. I needed to talk to someone at the IRS but kept getting the "due to high call volume" message for DAYS. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for over a week on my own. They have this neat system that essentially waits on hold for you - you can see a demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent I spoke with explained exactly what documentation I needed to resolve the issue even without a corrected W2.

Well I'll be damned. I tried Claimyr yesterday after posting that skeptical comment. Got connected to an IRS agent in 22 minutes when I'd been trying for DAYS on my own. The agent confirmed that employers absolutely have to fix W2 errors and gave me the exact wording to use with HR to light a fire under them. I was 100% sure this was going to be a scam but it actually delivered exactly what it promised. Already got an email from payroll saying they're processing my corrected W2. Saved me so much stress during an already stressful tax season!

Could it be that you're looking at Medicare withholding (which is Box 6) instead of Social Security withholding (Box 4)? Medicare is a smaller percentage (1.45%) but people mix them up all the time. Also, check if there's any year-to-date info on your last paystub from that job and compare it to what's on your W2. Sometimes that helps spot errors.

Did you have any tips included in this job? Sometimes tip income can cause weird things to happen on W2s with how they're reported vs. how they're taxed.

That's definitely a major error on your W2! Based on the numbers you shared ($2,186.45 in SS wages but $2,710.91 in SS tax withheld), your employer somehow withheld about 124% of your total wages as Social Security tax. That's literally impossible under normal circumstances. You absolutely need to get this corrected before filing your taxes. Contact your employer's payroll department immediately with screenshots of both your W2 and your final paystub showing the discrepancy. They are legally required to issue you a corrected W2 (Form W-2c) to fix this error. If they give you any pushback or delays, you can also file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) with the IRS using the correct information from your paystubs, but getting the actual corrected W2 is definitely the better route. Don't let them tell you to "just file it as is" - this kind of error will cause major problems with your tax return.

This is a really helpful thread! I'm a new college grad who just started my first full-time job and I'm already worried about potential W2 issues next year. @6b25431c3512 your situation is exactly the kind of thing that would have me panicking if it happened to me. One thing I'm curious about - how long did it take for your employer to respond once you contacted them with the evidence? I've heard some companies are really slow with payroll corrections, especially smaller businesses that might outsource their payroll processing. Also, for anyone else reading this who might face similar issues - it sounds like keeping your final paystub is super important for comparison. I'm definitely going to make sure I save mine from now on!

As someone who's been helping people with tax issues for years, I want to emphasize how important it is that you're catching this error now rather than after filing. W2 errors like this are more common than you'd think, especially with smaller employers or new payroll systems. The numbers you've shared ($2,186.45 in SS wages vs $2,710.91 in SS tax) clearly show a major error - your SS tax should only be about $135.56 (6.2% of your wages). This level of discrepancy suggests either a data entry error or possibly a system glitch where numbers got transposed or duplicated. When you contact your employer, be prepared with: - Screenshots of both your W2 and final paystub - A simple calculation showing what your SS tax should actually be - A clear request for a corrected W2 (Form W-2c) Most employers are cooperative once they see the evidence, but if they're slow to respond, remember that you have rights here. The IRS requires employers to provide accurate W2s, and they can face penalties for issuing incorrect forms. Don't let anyone pressure you to "file it as is" - that will only create bigger problems down the road. You're doing exactly the right thing by questioning this and getting it sorted out properly!

This is such a great example of why it's so important to review your tax documents carefully! I'm a tax preparer and I see W2 errors like this more often than people realize, especially during busy tax season when payroll departments are rushing to get forms out. The fact that your Social Security tax ($2,710.91) is actually higher than your total Social Security wages ($2,186.45) is a dead giveaway that there's a significant error. As others have mentioned, SS tax should be exactly 6.2% of your wages - so you should be seeing around $135.56 in Box 4, not over $2,700! One thing I always tell my clients is to never ignore these kinds of discrepancies, even if they seem "in your favor" at first glance. In this case, you might think "well, at least I overpaid rather than underpaid," but that's not how it works. The IRS systems will flag this as an inconsistency, and it could delay your refund or trigger an audit. Since you mentioned this was your first "real" job with tax forms, this is actually a valuable learning experience. Always compare your final paystub to your W2, and don't be afraid to question anything that doesn't look right. Your instincts were spot-on here! Keep us updated on how the correction process goes with your employer. These kinds of posts are really helpful for other people who might face similar issues.

Wow, reading through this thread has been incredibly educational! I'm also in college and just starting to deal with tax documents for the first time, so seeing how you caught and are handling this W2 error is really helpful. The fact that your Social Security tax is actually higher than your total wages is wild - I never would have known that was mathematically impossible without reading everyone's explanations here. It's making me realize I should probably double-check my own W2 more carefully instead of just assuming everything is correct. @6b25431c3512 I hope your employer gets the corrected W2 issued quickly! It sounds like you've got all the right documentation and approach to get this resolved. And thanks to everyone who shared the detailed explanations about how Social Security tax should work - this is exactly the kind of real-world tax education that college doesn't teach us! I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for future reference and making sure to save all my paystubs going forward.

This is such a valuable thread for anyone dealing with their first W2! As someone who works in accounting, I see these kinds of errors fairly regularly, especially with part-time or seasonal employees where payroll systems sometimes glitch. The numbers you've shared make it crystal clear this is a major error - having Social Security tax that exceeds your actual wages is impossible under normal circumstances. Your employer definitely needs to issue a corrected W2 (Form W-2c) immediately. One additional tip for you and other students reading this: when you get your corrected W2, double-check that ALL the boxes are accurate, not just the Social Security ones. Sometimes when payroll systems have one error, there can be other mistakes too. Compare Box 1 (federal wages), Box 3 (SS wages), and Box 5 (Medicare wages) to make sure they all align with your final paystub. Also, keep a copy of both the original incorrect W2 and the corrected one for your records. If there are ever any questions from the IRS down the road, having that documentation will be incredibly helpful. You're handling this exactly the right way by catching it early and pushing for a proper correction. Don't let anyone convince you to file with the incorrect information - it's not worth the headache it would cause later!