What to Do If You Don’t Get a W-2 from Your Employer

It’s tax time and if you’re missing your Form W-2, here are some things you can try.

Contact your employer first

The law requires employers to issue a Form W-2 to their employees by January 31st every year.

If you didn’t receive your Form W-2 by January 31st, or if it is incorrect, try reaching out to your employer. In some cases, for example, the employer may have sent it to an old address if you moved. Or it may have been sent to you electronically by your employer.

Contact the IRS

If you tried reaching out to your employer and still do not receive your W-2 by the end of February, you would need to contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.

The IRS will contact your employer or payer and request the missing form. You’ll have to let the IRS know the following:

• your name, address, Social Security number and phone number;
• your employer’s name, address and phone number;
• the dates you worked for the employer; and
• an estimate of your wages and federal income tax withheld. You can use your final pay stub to figure these amounts.

If, after contacting the IRS, you still do not have your Form W-2, you may:

1. Request more time to file by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S Individual Income Tax Return. You can e-file the request.
2. File your return by the April due date and use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Try to estimate your wages and withholding as best you can.

See IRS Tax Topic 154 for more information and additional steps you may need to take.

What if I need a previous year W-2 or I lost my Form W-2?

If you lost your W-2 or need a previous year’s W-2, here are things you can try:

Contact your employer

Try reaching out to your employer or previous employer and requesting another copy.

Contact the Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration (SSA) can give you printouts of your W-2s for any year from 1978 to the present.

While they’re free if you need the copy for Social Security related purposes, if you need them for any other purpose, such as for taxes, there’s a $126 fee per request.

More information on the SSA site.

Get a wage and income transcript from the IRS

Get a wage and income transcript from the IRS for the tax period you need it for. The wage and income transcript will show your W-2 information, along with other income reported by 3rd parties.

Wage and income transcripts are available for up to 10 years. Note that current year tax information might not be available until July.

If you need a W-2 for federal tax filing purposes, you should be able to use a wage and income transcript in place of a W-2. However, a wage and income transcript might not include your state and local income tax withholding information.

You can get your wage and income transcript online or by mail at IRS’s Get Your Tax Record.