What is a W-2 Form? A Taxpayer’s Guide to W-2 Forms Intuit TurboTax Blog

Check this box if you file Forms 941 and no other category applies. A church or church organization should check this box even if it is not required to file Forms 941 or 944. If you are a railroad employer sending Forms W-2 for employees covered under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA), check the “CT-1” box.

Do I have to attach my W-2 to my tax return?

If you are making a correction for previously filed Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, 944, or CT-1, use the corresponding “X” forms, such as Forms 941-X, 943-X, 944-X, or CT-1X for the return period in which you found the error. 15 (Circular E) and the Instructions for Form CT-1X for more details. Issue the employee a Form W-2c if the error discovered was for the prior year and Form W-2 was filed with the SSA. Write “CORRECTED” on the employee’s new copies (B, C, and 2), and furnish them to the employee. If the “VOID” Form W-2 is on a page with a correct Form W-2, send the entire page to the SSA.

What is “Cafe 125” on a W-2 tax form?

On the other hand, W-2 employees work directly under an organization. They have a direct employer-employee relationship in the organization in which they work. Employees receive a set paycheck and taxes withheld from their employer within a specific work period. If you’ve exhausted the above options and still haven’t received your W2, you can use Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement). You will need to estimate your income and federal tax withheld – as close to accurate as you can – and attach Form 4852 to your tax return.

But there are some important considerations if you choose to save money by utilizing a freelancer. While a 1099 enjoys a flexible schedule, they don’t receive typical company benefits. They are responsible for paying the full portion of taxes and have limited legal protections compared to W-2 employees. The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice.

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If your only changes to the Forms W-2c and W-3c are to the state and local data, do not send either Copy A of Form W-2c or Form W-3c to the SSA. Instead, send the forms to the appropriate state or local agency and furnish copies of Form W-2c to your employees. Check this box if you are a U.S., state, or local agency filing corrections for employees subject only to Medicare taxes. Do not staple or tape the Forms W-2c to Form W-3c or to each other. File a separate Form W-3c for each w2 form tax year, for each type of form, and for each kind of payer/employer combination. (The “Third-party sick pay” indicator box does not designate a separate kind of payer or employer.) Make a copy of Form W-3c for your records.

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Effective for tax years 2018 through 2025, the exclusion for qualified moving expense reimbursements applies only to members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty who move pursuant to a military order and incident to a permanent change of station. All other employees have only nonqualified moving expenses and expense reimbursements subject to tax and withholding. If an employee loses a Form W-2, write “REISSUED STATEMENT” on the new copy and furnish it to the employee. You do not have to add “REISSUED STATEMENT” on Forms W-2 provided to employees electronically. Employers are not prohibited (by the Internal Revenue Code) from charging a fee for the issuance of a duplicate Form W-2.

  • Generally, this means W-2s must be mailed by January 31, but not necessarily received by employees by this date.
  • That’s why a casino or other gambling establishment might give you a Form W-2G immediately at the gambling venue or mail you one by January 31 of the following year.
  • For additional examples of 501(c) non-governmental organizations, see chapters 3 and 4 of Pub.
  • 1223 prohibits advertising on Form W-2c and envelopes containing Form W-2c.
  • That information will be sent to the IRS electronically along with your tax return, so you do not need to send your W-2 forms separately.

Verify that the amount reported in each box is an accurate total of the Forms W-2. If you made distributions and are also reporting any deferrals in boxes 3 and/or 5, do not complete box 11. However, do not file Form SSA-131 if this situation applies and the employee was not 61 years old or more during the tax year for which you are filing Form W-2. The purpose of box 11 is for the SSA to determine if any part of the amount reported in box 1 or boxes 3 and/or 5 was earned in a prior year. The SSA uses this information to verify that they have properly applied the social security earnings test and paid the correct amount of benefits.

You must enter the employee’s correct SSN even if it was correct on the original Form W-2. If you are correcting an employee’s SSN, you must also complete boxes e through i. There are two ways to prepare a correction for an employee for whom more than one Form W-2 was filed under the same EIN for the tax year. You can (1) consider all the Forms W-2 when determining the amounts to enter on Form W-2c, or (2) file a single Form W-2c to correct only the incorrect Form W-2. The total of Form W-2 box 12 amounts reported with codes A through C, J through R, T through W, Z, DD, and FF through II is not reported on Form W-3. Boxes 15 through 20—State and local income tax information (not applicable to Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI).

You can use BSO to create, save, print, and submit Forms W-2c, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement, online for the current year as well as for prior years. After logging into BSO, navigate to the Electronic Wage Reporting home page and click on the “Forms W-2c/W-3c Online” tab. Unless otherwise noted, references to Medicare tax include Additional Medicare Tax. Do not write “corrected” or “amended” on any resubmitted reports. Rejected wage reports from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Read on to learn more about the key difference between 1099s and W2s, including tax implications, benefits, and employer responsibilities. Generally, you can expect to receive a W-2 either electronically or by mail if you earned at least $600 from a particular employer. However, if your employer withholds any amount of tax from your paycheck, you will receive this form. Keep in mind that the IRS uses a cross-checking program to ensure you report all of your W-2 income. If the amount reported from your W-2s doesn’t match the amount on your tax return, the IRS may delay your tax return. The box once reported an employer benefit which no longer exists (advance earned income credit payments).

You may also have to follow special reporting rules for certain taxable reimbursements. Show the total moving expense reimbursements that you paid directly to your employee for qualified (allowable) moving expenses. Use this code only if you reimbursed your employee for employee business expenses using a per diem or mileage allowance and the amount that you reimbursed exceeds the amount treated as substantiated under IRS rules.

Employers sometimes misclassify workers unintentionally, either due to a misunderstanding of the rules or to avoid payroll taxes and benefits costs. However, the IRS and Department of Labor closely monitor worker classifications, and mistakes can lead to audits, fines, and back payments of wages and taxes. Understanding your W-2 form is essential whether it’s tax season or not. A W-2 is a pivotal tax document that outlines your income and tax withholdings from your employer.

  • The IRS requires that employers provide employees and the government with W-2s by Jan. 31.
  • If the previous SSN was reported as blanks or not available, then box f should be all zeros.
  • If the information on your actual W2 is different from what you reported with Form 4852, you will need to correct your return.
  • Use the “944” checkbox in box b of Form W-3 or Form W-3SS if you filed Form 944, Employer’s ANNUAL Federal Tax Return.
  • You should receive a Form W-2 from your employer, whether you’re a part-time or full-time worker, if you’ve earned $600 or more in income from that company during the tax year.
  • Always file Form W-3c when submitting one or more Forms W-2c.

However, if you’re filing a paper tax return by mail, you need to attach Copy B of each W-2 form you receive to the front of your federal tax return. To get a better sense of how much federal income tax you should have withheld from your pay, use TurboTax’s W-4 withholding calculator. To ensure you have it in time for tax season, the IRS requires employers to send W-2 forms to their employees no later than January 31 following the close of the tax year. So, for example, by January 31, 2025, for W-2s for the 2024 tax year.