Has anyone noticed how FreeTaxUSA handles the quarterly estimated tax payments for next year? I switched from TurboTax this year too but I'm confused about whether I need to make quarterly payments for my gig work.

I went through the exact same struggle last year switching from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA for my gig work! That preliminary summary you saw is totally normal - FreeTaxUSA shows you running totals as you go, which can be confusing at first. Make sure you complete the self-employment sections for both your DoorDash 1099-NEC and UberEats 1099-K. The key is entering all your business expenses - especially mileage tracking if you kept records. I saved about $1,200 in taxes just from properly deducting my delivery miles. One tip: don't panic if the numbers look high before you finish entering all your expenses. The software will recalculate everything once you complete each section. Also, double-check that you're not accidentally reporting the same income twice if any amounts appear on both your 1099-K and 1099-NEC - that's a common issue with delivery apps. FreeTaxUSA definitely has a learning curve compared to TurboTax, but it handles gig work just fine once you get through all the sections. Take your time and don't rush through the business expense parts!

This is such a common source of confusion! I went through the exact same thing with my 403b last year. The key thing to remember is that 403b contributions are "pre-tax" deductions, which means they come out of your paycheck BEFORE taxes are calculated. So when you see that Code E amount in Box 12b, it's not telling you to subtract anything additional - it's just documenting what was already subtracted throughout the year with each paycheck. Your Box 1 wages are your "after 403b contribution" amount. One tip that helped me verify this: if you have access to your employee portal or HR system, you can usually see a year-end summary that shows your total gross pay vs. your taxable wages. The difference should match your 403b contributions plus any other pre-tax benefits like health insurance premiums. Don't stress about missing a deduction - you're getting the tax benefit automatically through the reduced Box 1 amount!

Most larger employers do provide some kind of year-end summary through their payroll or HR systems, but the level of detail varies quite a bit. Some will show a nice breakdown of gross pay vs. taxable wages with all the deductions itemized, while others might just show basic totals. If you can't find a detailed summary in your employee portal, you can also calculate this yourself pretty easily. Just add up all your pre-tax deductions for the year: - 403b/401k contributions (Box 12 codes D or E) - Health insurance premiums - Dental/vision insurance - FSA contributions - Any other pre-tax benefits Then check: (Your total gross wages) - (All pre-tax deductions) = Box 1 amount on W-2 If that math works out, you know everything was handled correctly. If it doesn't match up, that's when you might want to contact HR or use one of those services others mentioned to get help sorting it out. The fact that you're thinking to double-check this stuff shows you're being smart about your taxes!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for how this entire thread unfolded! What started as @Hattie Carson's understandable panic about potential payroll errors became such a comprehensive educational experience about understanding tax withholdings. The systematic approach that everyone recommended here - calculating the basic percentages (1.45% Medicare, 6.2% Social Security) and verifying them against actual deductions - seems like such essential financial literacy. I had no idea that modern payroll systems often display both employee and employer portions for transparency, which can definitely cause confusion if you're not expecting it. Learning about supplemental wage taxation and how bonus pay stubs can look completely different from regular paychecks was particularly enlightening. The "SUPP" designation is definitely something I'll be watching for on my own pay stubs now. What impresses me most about this community is the focus on empowering people with practical verification tools rather than immediately suggesting to escalate every concern. This thread perfectly demonstrates how a little knowledge and systematic thinking can turn a scary financial situation into a manageable learning opportunity. Thank you to everyone who shared their expertise - this will definitely be my go-to reference if I ever encounter similar payroll confusion!

As a newcomer to this community and someone who's still learning about payroll taxes, this entire discussion has been absolutely invaluable! I had no idea that pay stubs could be so complex or that there were so many potential sources of confusion. What really struck me was how @Hattie Carson's initial concern - which seemed like a serious payroll error - turned out to be just a confusing display format. The systematic approach everyone recommended (calculating the expected employee percentages and comparing to actual deductions) seems like such practical wisdom that I wish I'd learned earlier. I'm particularly grateful for learning about supplemental wage taxation and how bonus pay stubs can look dramatically different from regular paychecks. The "SUPP" code explanation was especially helpful - I never would have known to look for that indicator. This thread perfectly demonstrates why this community is so valuable. Instead of just telling someone to "contact HR immediately," everyone provided the tools to verify the situation first. That kind of empowerment through education is exactly what helps people build confidence in handling their own financial questions. Thank you to everyone who shared their expertise!

Whatever payment method you choose, MAKE SURE to save confirmation of your payment! Take screenshots, save/print receipts, and write down any confirmation numbers. I paid a penalty online last year and the IRS somehow lost track of it, then sent me another notice with additional interest. Had to send them my confirmation details to get it straightened out.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I just successfully paid my penalty using IRS Direct Pay and it was actually pretty straightforward once I knew what to look for. For anyone else in a similar situation, here's exactly what I did: 1. Went to IRS.gov and clicked on "Make a Payment" 2. Selected "Direct Pay" (the free option) 3. Chose "Notice" as my reason for payment 4. Selected "Other" for notice type since my penalty notice didn't have a specific CP number 5. Entered my SSN, tax year (2023), and the reference number from my penalty notice 6. Connected my bank account and submitted the $470 payment The whole process took about 8 minutes and I got immediate confirmation with a receipt number. I also took screenshots of everything like @Reginald Blackwell suggested - definitely good advice given some of the horror stories here! Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. This community is so helpful for navigating these confusing IRS situations.

Your 82% score is definitely a great starting point! I passed the Intuit Academy Tax Level 1 exam about 4 months ago and was scoring in the 80-83% range on practice tests, so you're right on track. The actual exam felt very similar to the practice tests - same question types, comparable difficulty, and identical format. What really made the difference for me was focusing on the explanations for every question I missed, not just getting the right answer. The exam tests your understanding of tax concepts, not just memorization. One thing I'd recommend is keeping a simple notebook or document where you write down the specific tax rule or concept behind each question you miss. For example, if you miss a question about child tax credit eligibility, write down the key requirements (age limits, income thresholds, etc.). This helped me see patterns in my weak areas. With the 70% passing threshold, your 82% already gives you a solid buffer. If you can maintain or improve those scores on your remaining practice tests, you should feel confident about taking the real exam. The methodical approach you're taking by completing all practice tests first is exactly what I'd recommend - it shows you're committed to being truly prepared rather than just hoping to scrape by.

Your 82% on the first practice test is really encouraging! I went through the Intuit Academy Tax Level 1 certification process last year and had a very similar starting score. From my experience, the practice tests are quite representative of the actual exam in terms of both content and difficulty level. The format is nearly identical, and you'll encounter the same types of tax scenarios and concepts. I'd definitely recommend taking all the available practice tests since they each tend to emphasize different aspects of the curriculum. One approach that really helped me was creating a simple error log where I tracked the specific tax topics for questions I missed across all practice tests. This helped me identify that I was consistently weak on things like retirement contribution limits and education credit phase-outs, so I could focus my remaining study time there rather than reviewing areas I already understood well. With the 70% passing threshold, your 82% already gives you a comfortable margin. I'd suggest aiming for consistent scores above 85% on your remaining practice tests just for that extra confidence boost. The fact that you're taking a methodical approach and not rushing into the actual exam shows you're serious about being properly prepared. The actual exam felt very fair compared to the practice tests - if anything, I found it slightly less tricky than some of the harder practice questions. You're definitely on the right track!