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Got the shock of my life this morning when I received a $2,000+ tax bill from the state of New York, claiming I didn't pay my income taxes this year! I get my state taxes withheld from my paycheck by my employer, and my W-2 was in perfect order, which I submitted along with my return back in April. It's like the state didn't even pay attention to my W-2 and overlooked the fact that I already had over $2,000 withheld (just like I do every year, which usually means I only have to pay a minimal amount of taxes in April or might get a minimal refund - this year, I was expecting a $3 refund).
In 20 years of filing taxes in NY I have never had this happen to me. Why are they acting like I didn't already have this money withheld?
It is probably that the withholdings were not typed in when the return was processed or the W-2 got detached if mailed in. I would be more concerned if it was 2 years later and it was an employer match issue.
Just send in a copy of the W-2 stapled to the notice, or if you want, call and see if they can do it over the phone. But I vote for mailing it in and save the aggravation of trying to talk to someone over the phone.
Someone forgot to TYPE IT IN? How can you make a mistake that huge? Why am I filling out all these forms and attaching all these W2's if some idiot can just "not type something"??
I filed on paper, and the online tax site has a confirmation number, that they received my filing.
In fact, the figures they quote on the bill are identical to the ones on my filing (my income figures, etc)... with the exception of the withheld tax they should have counted in. So, I don't think someone stole my identity, unless they make exactly the amount of money I do.
I didn't get the refund. When I tried to search for it online, they said the record didn't exist. So for whatever reason, NY State thinks I didn't have any state tax withheld this year - but my W2 clearly states I *did*.
I haven't changed employers... same employer I've had for 20 years.
I sent PDF's of the W-2 and the return to their complaint service today. Also will CALL THEM on Monday and give them a piece of my mind.
The bizarre thing is, for years New York required an idiotic extra form called the IT-2, wherein you were expected to hand-copy your W-2 onto THEIR form - instead of just attaching the state copy of the W-2, like you would expect. But this year, they explicitly did away with the IT-2, and you were instructed to attach (staple) your W-2 just like you do with the federal.
Good grief!!! Did some idiot in Albany not get the memo that there are no more IT-2 forms? They probably looked at my return and said, "No IT-2!"
Someone forgot to TYPE IT IN? How can you make a mistake that huge? Why am I filling out all these forms and attaching all these W2's if some idiot can just "not type something"??
How much more in taxes do you want to pay, to ensure that everything human beings do in society is perfect?
Most people don't want to pay that premium, and are satisfied that there are mechanisms to fix such errors when they occur. They prefer to spend money on higher levels of quality for things that cannot be rectified after-the-fact, like safety.
Update: I called the NY tax office this morning and learned that they have had "issues" with paper returns this year and apparently I am not the only person this has happened to. (The girl on the phone said they are already getting calls about it)
I did the right thing and filed a protest over the weekend... but am informed it takes 90 days to resolve. Meanwhile, they keep adding late fees onto my supposed delinquent bill? And I'm supposed to trust them that it will all turn out all right?
That was literally the inane response I got to my questions. "Oh, don't worry about it, if you believe you don't owe it..." WTF? I need something in writing here. This bill is due in a few weeks and they will just keep adding late fees and interest, and I'm supposed to trust their dispute process when they can't even process their taxpayers' returns correctly?
I absolutely would not be surprised if this is traceable to the discontinuation of the IT-2 form. How much you want to bet that some of their processing employees didn't get the memo that there would be no more IT-2's to look at? That would be so typically Albany.
Quote:
How much more in taxes do you want to pay, to ensure that everything human beings do in society is perfect?
News flash - no amount of money will fix this broken system, so I'm not sure what you're getting at there. Fortunately, I can afford to throw them their stolen money to keep the late fees from accruing until they reimburse me (with interest). I feel sorry for the people this screwup has affected who don't even have a pot to **** in.
This is the reason why the Roman peasants let the barbarians take over - because the barbarians were actually better at running things. It's a question of trust. I probably wouldn't even be thinking about Romans and barbarians at this point if only their representative on the phone had seemed trustworthy. I actually felt sorry for her because it was clear her supervisor (ie, the state tax office) had not given her a spiel for the people calling in... her response did not inspire confidence. Without confidence, there isn't any trust. Without trust, you can't have a society. A society without trust is unsustainable, and no amount of tax dollars can save such a society in the end.
Last edited by Jeromeville; 07-22-2013 at 09:06 AM..
CERTIFIED letter w/return receipt - copy to attorney noted on the bottom of the letter in the CC section. It'll cost you six bux, but it lets them know you mean business. It likely won't get anywhere, but also trying filing a complaint with the state attorney general. Properly rattling cages can have positive effects later on.
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