That's what I'm saying. When reading the legal language (read what is says, not what you WISH it says) , the IRS instructions for form 5329 are clear, with no caveats. I will directly quote the IRS again. Read it carefully:
"YOU MUST FILE FORM 5329 IF ....
The contributions for 2021 to your traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, Coverdell ESAs, Archer MSAs, HSAs, or ABLE accounts exceed your maximum contribution limit"
When you look at my W2, my 2021 contributions exceed my limit. Yes, they were withdrawn, but that was after Jan 1, so they excess withdrawal won't show up until next year's 1099-SA. But importantly the contributions still happened.
I thank you all for your help and I hope someone can address this. Ultimately it's not the math, it's the legal language I'm worried about.
An older, but still relevant article can be found here:
https://pension-specialists.com/hottopics/5329May2016.htm
