What to Do If You Don’t Have Your W2 Form

 

The tax deadline for filing taxes is nearing for U.S. taxpayers and they are feverishly getting all their documents together so they can file their taxes on time. But the important W-2 is missing or maybe you haven’t received it yet, what should you do? No need to panic, you can easily get your missing W-2 form or you can even file your taxes without it.

Table of Contents [hide]

• 1 What to Do If You Lost Your W-2 Form
• 2 Contact Your Employer
• 3 Contact the IRS Directly
• 4 Just File Your Return Without The W-2
• 5 How to Get Your W-2 Online

What to Do If You Lost Your W-2 Form

The W-2 form is a vital piece of info for most tax filers as it confirms the income you earned for that tax year. Sometimes known as the Wage and Tax Statement, this is sent out by employers at the beginning of every calendar year.

These businesses, by law, have to mail the W-2 forms by January 31 so that filers have sufficient time to submit their taxes by the April 15 deadline for filing taxes. Your employer also has to send a copy of your W-2 straight to the IRS.

What if you don’t have your W-2 form, what should you do next? As per the IRS, you have a few options to think about:

1. Contact Your Employer

If you can’t find your W-2 for whatever reason, you can still contact your employer through their HR department and request a new one to be mailed to you. It could have been returned to your employer because of a wrong or incomplete address.

2. Contact the IRS Directly

You also have the option of getting in contact with the IRS directly. If you don’t get it by February 14, the IRS suggests contacting them TOLL FREE at 1-800-829-1040. When you call be sure to have handy your name, address including city, state, zip code, your Social Security number, phone number as well as the following:

• Full name, address and phone number of your Employer
• Period of employment
• Estimated income earned, federal income tax withheld along with dates you worked for the employer. You can get all of this info from your pay stub but looking at the year to date info.

Once you contact the IRS directly for your missing W-2, they might be able to get the form that was send to them by your employer. Hopefully you will get it in time to file your taxes on time.

3. Just File Your Return Without The W-2

It doesn’t matter if you have your W-2 or not, according to the IRS you still have to file your tax return or request a tax extension by April 15. In a case where you already contacted the IRs regarding your missing W-2, they will get you to complete a Form 4852 which will function as a Form W-2.

The Form 4825 will have to be attached to your form 1040, where you will have to estimate income as well as withholding taxes as precisely as possible. The IRS states that going this route might delay your refund because they will have to take extra time to verify the info you sent them.

If you get your W-2 after you have already submitted your return using Form 4852 and you notice that your earnings or taxes being withheld are incorrect, you are able to amend the tax return. You can make the amendment by filling out a From 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return or you can contact the IRS directly with the correct info.

How to Get Your W-2 Online

You might still  be able to get your W-2 data electronically if for whatever reason it didn’t work out with your employer or the IRS. The authorized IRS e-file providers H&R Block and TurboTax provide free access online for W-2 forms.

Depending on the availability of these documents from your financial institution and employer, this feature will allow you to find and import your W-2 online.