I went through this exact situation about 3 months ago and totally understand that pit-in-your-stomach feeling! Got the certified mail notification on a Friday afternoon and spent the entire weekend checking my online account obsessively - absolutely nothing showed up there either. Mine ended up being a simple verification request for my student loan interest deduction. Apparently the amount I claimed didn't perfectly match what one of my loan servicers reported to them. The whole thing was resolved with a 15-minute phone call where I explained that I had multiple loans and provided the correct breakdown. They accepted my explanation immediately and that was it - no additional documentation needed. The most frustrating part was that even after I called and resolved everything, it took over 3 weeks for anything to appear in my online account, and even then it was just a generic "correspondence processed" note with no details. Your situation sounds very similar to what many of us recent graduates have experienced. Since you mentioned being meticulous with your taxes and recently graduating, I'd bet it's either education credit verification or something related to student loan interest/income verification. The IRS seems to do extra verification on education-related credits and deductions, especially for recent graduates. Don't let your anxiety get the best of you - based on this thread and my own experience, you're almost certainly looking at a routine administrative request that can be handled quickly. Pick it up tomorrow morning and you'll finally be able to replace that unknown anxiety with a concrete action plan!

I completely understand that anxiety you're feeling right now! I just went through this exact same situation about 2 months ago - got the certified mail notification and immediately started checking my online account multiple times a day with absolutely nothing showing up. The waiting and not knowing what it could be about was honestly the worst part. Mine turned out to be a verification request for the Earned Income Tax Credit I claimed. They just needed me to confirm some employment dates and income amounts that didn't perfectly align with what one of my employers reported. The whole thing was resolved with one phone call and uploading a copy of my final paystub from that job. Total time to resolve: maybe 20 minutes. What really struck me reading through all these responses is how incredibly common this system disconnect seems to be. It's almost 2025 and the IRS still can't sync their physical mail with their digital systems - it's honestly mind-boggling! Like others have mentioned, my online account didn't show anything until almost a month AFTER I'd already resolved the issue. My advice: stop checking your online account obsessively (I know, easier said than done!), pick up that letter first thing tomorrow morning, and remember that based on everyone's experiences here, it's almost certainly something routine that can be handled quickly. The anticipation is always worse than the reality with these situations. You've got this! And please update us once you know what it's about - it'll help the next person going through this same anxiety.

I went through something very similar with my son last year when he worked at a Pizza Hut for just a few days. Here's what ended up working for us: First, definitely start by calling the specific Taco Bell location where she worked. Even if she was only there 3 days, they're legally required to provide a W2 if any wages were paid. Ask for the manager and explain the situation - sometimes W2s get returned to sender if there was an address issue. If the local store can't help, try the corporate route. Since Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands, you can contact their employee services. Many locations also use ADP or another payroll company, so ask the store who handles their payroll processing. One thing that really helped us was having my son's employee ID number and exact dates of employment ready when making these calls. If she has any paystubs, that information should be on there. The IRS deadline for employers to send out W2s was January 31st, so at this point Taco Bell is actually late in providing it. If you don't get anywhere with the employer by next week, definitely contact the IRS directly. They can intervene on her behalf and often that gets employers to act quickly. Even though it's a small amount, it's worth getting the proper W2 rather than estimating on Form 4852 if possible. Good luck!

I work in tax preparation and see this situation frequently with short-term employment. Here's the most efficient approach I recommend: 1. **Start with the store directly** - Call the specific Taco Bell location and ask for the general manager. Have your daughter's full name, dates of employment (October), and last known address ready. Sometimes W2s are returned due to address changes. 2. **Check for electronic delivery** - Many Taco Bell locations now use electronic W2 delivery through their employee portal. Ask the manager if they use Workday or another system where she might be able to access it online. 3. **Get the payroll company info** - If the store can't help immediately, ask who handles their payroll (often ADP, Paychex, or similar). You can contact them directly with her employee information. 4. **Document your attempts** - Keep records of when you called and who you spoke with. The IRS will ask for this if you need their help later. Since it's already past the January 31st deadline for employers to mail W2s, Taco Bell is technically non-compliant. If you don't get resolution within a week, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. They can issue a formal request to the employer, which usually gets quick results. Even for a small amount like $200, it's worth getting the actual W2 rather than estimating. Plus, if any taxes were withheld, she'll want that refund!

Based on everyone's advice here, it sounds like claiming exempt isn't the right move. I'm definitely going to avoid that route since I clearly don't qualify for it. I'm leaning toward either using the IRS withholding calculator that Tami mentioned or trying one of those AI tools like Julia suggested. My situation is pretty straightforward - just regular W-2 income with this one bigger paycheck coming up. Does anyone know roughly how far in advance I need to submit a new W-4 to my payroll department? I want to make sure I get the timing right if I decide to temporarily adjust my withholding for this paycheck and then change it back. Also, just to clarify - when you all mention "part-year withholding method," is that something specific I ask for on the W-4 form, or is that just what it's called when you adjust the withholding amounts temporarily?

Great question! I went through something similar last year with a large commission check. The key thing I learned is that claiming exempt is really meant for people who expect to owe zero taxes for the entire year - not just a way to temporarily reduce withholding. Here's what worked for me: I used the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (it's free on their website) and input my expected total income for the year including that large paycheck. It then told me exactly how to adjust my W-4 temporarily. I increased my deductions on line 3 for just that pay period, then switched back to normal withholding right after. The timing is crucial though - make sure to submit your W-4 changes well before the payroll cutoff. I almost missed mine and would have been stuck with the regular withholding. Also keep in mind that if this puts you significantly under-withheld for the year, you might need to make an estimated tax payment to avoid penalties. The math worked out where I kept about 15% more of that large paycheck and didn't get hit with any penalties when I filed. Just make sure you're still meeting the safe harbor rules (paying at least 90% of current year tax or 100% of last year's tax liability).

From a compliance standpoint, I'd strongly recommend establishing a clear written policy that explicitly states traffic violations are the employee's personal responsibility, regardless of when or why they occur. Even if you decide to help employees in exceptional circumstances, treating it as taxable compensation rather than a business expense reimbursement protects you legally and ensures IRS compliance. Beyond the tax implications others have mentioned, consider the precedent you're setting. If you reimburse this speeding ticket, you'll likely face requests for parking tickets, red light violations, and potentially more serious infractions. It's much easier to have a consistent "no reimbursement" policy than to try to draw arbitrary lines about which violations are "acceptable." I'd also suggest reviewing your travel policies to ensure employees have realistic timelines for reaching appointments. Often these violations happen because of poor planning or unrealistic expectations, which the company can address proactively rather than dealing with the consequences after the fact.

I'd recommend checking with your corporate attorney about establishing a formal policy, but from what I've seen in similar situations, even genuine emergencies create complications. If an employee speeds to get someone to a hospital, that's understandable human behavior, but reimbursing it still creates the same tax implications (taxable income to the employee) and potential liability precedent. Most companies I've worked with handle these rare exceptions through discretionary bonuses or other forms of compensation rather than direct reimbursement for the violation itself. This way they can recognize the employee's judgment in an emergency without creating a policy that could be misinterpreted or abused. For parking situations where legal spaces aren't available, that's actually something companies can address proactively by providing guidance on what to do (contact the client to reschedule, find alternative parking even if it means walking further, etc.) rather than assuming employees should risk tickets. Having clear procedures for these scenarios in your travel policy protects both the company and employees from having to make difficult judgment calls in the moment. The "no exceptions" approach really is cleaner from both a tax and legal standpoint, even if it feels harsh in edge cases.

I've tried both and honestly went back to TurboTax. FreeTaxUSA is cheaper for sure, but I missed a pretty big education credit when I used it because the questions weren't as clear to me. Ended up filing an amended return. If your taxes are super simple, FreeTaxUSA is fine, but if you have anything slightly complicated I'd stick with TurboTax.

I made the switch from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA last year and it's been great! For your situation (W-2, mortgage interest, investments), FreeTaxUSA will definitely handle everything you need. The interface is more straightforward - less flashy graphics but very functional. One thing I really appreciated was no constant upselling like TurboTax does. With TurboTax I always felt like they were trying to get me to upgrade to a more expensive version I didn't need. FreeTaxUSA just asks the questions, handles your taxes, and that's it. The savings are real too - I went from paying around $80 with TurboTax to $15 for state filing only (federal is free). Same accuracy, way less cost. The only thing you'll miss is some of the hand-holding, but honestly the step-by-step process is still very clear.