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What to Do If You Didn’t Get Your W-2

Receiving your W-2 in the mail can be a heads-up for many people that tax season is in full swing. Because you need your W-2 in order to file your taxes every year, it’s a great nudge to get you started on your tax prep checklist. At the end of each tax year, your employer is required to issue your Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, which details how much you made and how much income, social security, and Medicare tax were withheld from your pay. By now, your employer should have issued you your W-2, as the deadline for issuing forms to employees was Jan. 31. But what if you didn’t get your W-2?

If you didn’t get your W-2, take the following steps to ensure you receive it in time to file your taxes.

1. Contact your employer.

If you haven’t already, reach out to your employer or former employer and ask them to send your W-2. This should be the fastest way to get your W-2 form. Verify your contact information with them as well to make sure they sent your W-2 to the correct address.

Did your former employer go out of business or move since your employment with them? Still make an effort to reach out. Google is definitely your friend in this situation. Search for your employer online to see if you can find any breadcrumbs to follow and track them down. You can also attempt to send them a note via mail to their previous address, as there may be a forwarding notice with the post office.

2. Call the IRS hotline.

Still no W-2? Then, call the IRS hotline at 800-829-1040. Make sure you are ready to give the following information:

  • Your name, SSN, address, and phone number.
  • Employer’s name, address, and phone number.
  • Employment dates.
  • An estimation of your wages and federal income tax withheld. You can base this on your last pay stub.

The IRS will contact your employer for you after this call. They’ll send them a Form 4598, Form W-2, 1098 or 1099 Not Received, Incorrect, or Lost. You should receive a copy of Form 4598 as well, along with Form 4852, Substitute for Form W–2.

3. Use Form 4852 in place of your W-2.

If your employer still has not issued a W-2 by April 15, file your taxes using Form 4852 in place of your W-2. It is important not to file Form 4852 too early because you could be charged penalties for “improper use.”

Always be sure to file your taxes on time, even if you use Form 4852. If you do not think you will be able to make the April 15 deadline, file for an extension using Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File. Filing late can cause you to incur some serious tax penalties.

4. If you get your W-2 after you’ve filed, amend ASAP.

Picture this: you didn’t get your W-2 in time so you went ahead and filed your taxes with Form 4852. The next day, you open your mailbox to find your missing W-2. Cue the eye-rolling.

If you get your W-2 form after you’ve filed your return and the information is different from what you reported, you’ll need to amend your return. Luckily, amending isn’t too difficult. You’ll just need to file Form 1040X, Amended Individual Income Tax Return.

If you find yourself confused at any stage of filing this tax season, check out what our seasoned team of tax experts can do for you!

*Read the original post on our Tax Defense Network blog