What to Do if You Are Missing Your W-2 Form…
If you haven’t received your W-2 or received it and misplaced it, follow these four steps:
• Contact your employer. If you did not receive your W-2 by the 31st of January, contact your employer to inquire if and when the W-2 was mailed.
If the employer agrees to resend or reissue the W-2, allow a reasonable amount of time for this to be done.
• Contact the IRS. If you did not receive your W-2 by February 14, contact the IRS for assistance at 800-829-1040. Form W-2 is not sent directly to the IRS.
Your employer first sends the documentation to the Social Security Administration.
After processing the SSA transmits the information to the IRS.
When you call, you must provide your name, address, Social Security number, phone number and also your employer’s name, address and phone number along with your dates of employment.
You also must provide an estimate of the wages you earned, the federal income tax withheld, and when you worked for that employer during the tax year you are preparing.
The estimate should be based on year-to-date information from your final pay stub or leave-and-earnings statement, if possible.
• File your return. You still must file your tax return or request an extension to file by April 15, even if you do not receive your Form W-2.
If you have not received your Form W-2 in time to file your return by the due date, and have completed steps 1 and 2, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement.
Attach Form 4852 to the return, estimating income and withholding taxes as accurately as possible.
The IRS will verify that the information submitted is correct and process the return.
• File a Form 1040X. If or when you receive or find the missing W-2, check the accuracy on the return you filed. If the information is incorrect file a 1040X making the corrections.
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Questions for Deborah Ritz can be e-mailed to The Weekly Adirondack at WeeklyADK@yahoo.com