Wrong W2 with My SSN Last 4 Digits - Transcript Shows 971 Code

I've seen this happen before with the last four SSN digits. Back in 2021, my wife's account showed someone else's W2 information. It turned out to be a data entry error where an employer transposed some numbers. In our case, we had to contact the IRS directly to verify our identity and get the incorrect information removed. Have you tried pulling your wage and income transcript to see exactly what's showing up?

I had something similar happen on January 15th this year. My transcript showed a W2 from a company I've never worked for. I called the IRS on January 18th and they told me to file Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) right away. My refund was held up for about 3 weeks while they investigated. The 971 code usually means they're sending you a notice - have you checked your mail from the IRS?

This is concerning and requires immediate action per IRS Publication 5027 which covers tax-related identity theft. The 971 code indicates a notice has been generated, likely related to this discrepancy. According to Internal Revenue Code §6103, the IRS cannot discuss specific tax information without proper authentication, making phone contact essential in these cases. I strongly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to connect with an IRS agent quickly. Their service bypasses the typical 2-3 hour hold times and can get you to an identity verification specialist who can flag your account for protection while this is resolved.

I would perhaps suggest contacting the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit as soon as possible at 800-908-4490. You might need to file Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) if it appears someone is possibly using your information. The 971 code may indicate they're sending you a notice about this very issue. I'd recommend checking your mail carefully in the coming days, as time is potentially of the essence with these matters. You might also want to place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus just to be cautious.

Here's what you need to do to resolve this situation: 1. First, download your complete Wage & Income transcript from the IRS website 2. Check all entries carefully to identify which W2 doesn't belong to you 3. Contact the employer listed on the incorrect W2 to see if they made an error 4. If you can't resolve it with the employer, use https://taxr.ai to analyze your transcript 5. The tool will highlight the discrepancies and explain what codes like 971 mean for your specific situation 6. It will also show you exactly what documentation you need to resolve this issue This approach saved me hours of confusion when I had a similar issue with incorrect 1099 information on my account.

I had exactly the same issue 32 days ago! Someone had the same last 4 of my SSN and their income was showing on my transcript. I called the IRS exactly 7 times before getting through. The agent confirmed it was a reporting error where an employer had transposed 2 digits in someone else's SSN. They filed a correction form and my transcript updated exactly 14 days later. My refund was processed 3 days after that. The 971 code was just generating a letter explaining the situation - nothing to worry about!

This happened to me last year. It was identity theft. Don't wait. Call the IRS immediately. My refund was delayed for 4 months while they sorted it out. The 971 code means they're sending you a letter - in my case it was asking me to verify my identity. You should also check your credit reports right now and freeze your credit. The IRS will likely tell you to file Form 14039.