Communication from the IRS is always via snail mail.

"Filing taxes for W4 employees" ?

Huh.

You are a W2 employee.

You fill out the W4 form so your employer knows how much to deduct from your paycheck. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/how-to-fill-out-form-w4-guide

It sounds like a real lack of knowledge on your end.

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I’d go so far as to say most of America has a lack of knowledge on how taxes work, which is why we end up paying tax experts to handle it. As I went on a tangent I was saying there shouldn’t even be a need for “tax experts” when as a W2 (see I learn quickly) employee the government knows how much I make already. But that was besides my main point of, if I don’t have the letter via snail mail in my possession what is my next step to even knowing what was written on it? And if the phone number doesn’t connect to anyone but Siri how can I communicate my situation to anyone but Reddit?

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Did you want to rant or are you actually interested in asking a question?

You don't need a tax expert to know how to fill out a W-4.

> the government knows how much I make already

Taxes aren't based only on what you earn. They're also based on your filing status for that year, how many dependents you have, account interest earned that didn't generate a form (IIRC most banks don't send this unless it's over $10), money you gifted over the annual exclusion limit (not taxed until you use up your lifetime limit, but the IRS doesn't know about this until it happens), how much you contributed to IRAs (any forms generated for this happens after taxes close out), how much you contributed to HSAs (other than through your employer), etc., etc.

Point is they may know how much you make, but until they know everything above and more they don't know how much you owe.

Could they send everyone an estimated tax return? Yes. Would that eliminate the need for people to scrutinize their work and correct any errors? No.

a CP523 notice is: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp523-notice

This website tells you to:

>Contact us immediately at the toll-free number listed at the top right corner of the notice. We will discuss what you need to do to resolve this issue.

Basically your day-job now is to call them.

Maybe you can show up in person. https://apps.irs.gov/app/office-locator/

Honestly taxes aren't that hard. If you say you're a simple employee, then you can figure it out yourself in maybe 20 minutes and talk to your HR department to make sure enough is being taken out.

They publish the tax brackets. They publish the standard deduction. You know approximately how much you'll earn in a year.

-- If you estimate earning $50k.
-- Google standard deduction and you find out it's $13,850.
-- Take $50k minus $13,850 is $36,150. You will pay tax on that amount of money.
-- Google tax brackets. You see that up to $10,275 you pay 10%.
-- So 10% of $10,275 is $1,027.50 in tax so far.
-- $36,150 minus $10,275 is $25,875.
-- Look at the next tax bracket $10,276 to $41,775 pays 12% tax.
-- 12% of $25,875 is $3,105
-- Add $1,027.50 and $3,105 and you get $4,132.50

Taxes done. Now you divide $4,132.5 by however many paychecks you get, most people it's 26. Make sure $159 per paycheck is going to federal taxes and you're fine. If less is, figure out how much extra needs held and talk to your HR about it. Figure state taxes out the same, or move to a state without an income tax.

If you have 401k, health care, or any other before tax deduction, you just minus the amount you pay towards that from your total pay and then calculate your taxes. It gets more complex if you have a couple kids and stuff, but really not rocket science. Most people that just go to a standard job every day don't need a tax "professional."

A little of both but my actual question was an effective way to contact IRS about my payment plan.

As I stated, I don’t know where the notice is physically. Or that would be the first number I called. I called their 800 number and got hung up on by a robot. But perhaps in person may be best. Thank you.

This post is better suited for the weekday or weekend thread (please wait until Friday afternoon if the Tax Thursday thread is the current sticky). If that link doesn't work, it's the second post from the top on /r/personalfinance.

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