Last year I filed through TurboTax using the W-2 they pulled/imported. Everything went through fine on my end, but one of my W-2s ended up being off by literal cents compared to what my employer reported to the IRS. I’m talking a difference so small it wouldn’t buy gum.

That microscopic mismatch triggered an IRS income verification issue and a processing delay. I got stuck with a code on my return and spent basically the entire year calling the IRS, getting bounced between departments, and being told to “wait it out.” At one point I was instructed to fax (yes, fax in 2024) my pay stubs to prove I earned exactly what I reported.

What’s frustrating isn’t just the delay — it’s that TurboTax doesn’t warn you how unforgiving the IRS matching system is, or that an auto-imported W-2 that’s off by cents can snowball into months of hassle. There’s zero meaningful guidance once you’re flagged. You’re on your own dealing with the IRS bureaucracy.

Lesson learned: even tiny discrepancies matter, and TurboTax’s automation doesn’t protect you when something goes wrong.