How to recover witholdings due to incorrect filing status (for majority of year)
My filing status in my employer's HR system was incorrectly set as Single for most of this year (until the end of October). I reached out to my employer and went through the process of changing my filing status to Married Filing Jointly, so now my take-home pay is significantly greater each paycheck.
However, when I asked an HR representative how I could recover that lost pay (for most of 2023) I was told that I would need to consult with a tax professional as HR doesn't give that kind of advise. That's why I'm creating this post.
I got the impression from reading this article provided by FreeTaxUSA that my refund amount should be greater if my take-home pay was reduced due to my filing status.
However, I'm not sure how I will be able to communicate that fact to the IRS when filing. I don't think they will automatically recognize that my filing status was switched towards the end of the year. They might assume that my filing status had been Married Filing Jointly the entire year rather than just the last couple of months of it.
I would appreciate any advise and/or information that any would could share that would help me to maximize my refund this upcoming year and/or somehow recover the lost pay through other means. Thanks.
Answers
-
The IRS doesn't receive any information about the filing status you put on your W-4. The only information transmitted to them is your income and the amount of taxes withheld. Your filing status on the W-4 doesn't have to match what you put on your 1040.
You will recover any overpayment when you file your 2023 income tax return in the form of your income tax refund. There's no other way to fix this problem for amounts already withheld.