Filing taxes without your W-2
If you are among the number of working Americans whose former employers are no longer doing business, you may have some concerns about file as income tax season roles around. You may worry about whether you still be able to get a copy of your W-2 form or, if you don't get one, whether you still file your taxes without it. Luckily, if you've honestly tried to get a copy of the form and haven't been able to, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has made provisions for you to file without a W-2 form in hand.
Instructions
Hunt Down a W-2
1. Wait until February 15 before filing without a W-2 form. While you can start hunting down a missing copy of the form anytime after January 31, the Internal Revenue Service will not accept returns without W-2 forms until mid-February.
2. Make an effort to get a copy of your W-2. Even if your employer has gone belly-up, you must be able to show that you have tried to get your tax information. Sent a request by certified mail to the last known address of your employer or business. If, by luck, your employer used a payroll company like ADP, contact the payroll company for help locating your W-2. If nothing else, the payroll company can provide you with detailed information about your yearly pay history, your former employer's employer identification number and your tax withholding information.
3. Grab a copy of your last paycheck stub and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. After providing your personal information and telling the agent your employer's name and address, the IRS will attempt to find a copy of your W-2 form. This is an especially important step, because your employer may have sent tax information to the IRS even if it was not sent to you.
File Without a W-2
4. Download a copy of Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, or Form 1099-R from the IRS website. You can fill out this form and filed with your taxes in lieu of your missing W-2 or 1099R forms.
5. Use the last paycheck stub of the tax year for which you are filing or the payroll history statement provided by the payroll company to find the information requested by Form 4852. You will need to know the wages or compensation you received, how much Social Security and Medicare wages and tips were withheld, how much federal income tax you paid and the amount of state and local tax which was withheld. This can be found under the Year-to-Date section of your paycheck stub.
6. Look up your employer's EIN or Social Security number on last year's tax return or last year's W-2 form. Though you can file Form 4852 without it, it can make the process easier if you can provide this information.
7. Explain in detail on lines 9 and 10 how you came about your wage and withholding estimate as well as the efforts you made to try to obtain your W-2 form.
8. Attach Form 4852 to your 1040 or other income tax form and send the forms to the IRS.
Tips Warnings
Though the IRS will begin accepting Form 4852 after February 15, the agency advises that it prefers taxpayers not to file with this form before April 15. The thought is that this will give you and the IRS adequate time to hunt down your missing W-2 form.
If you should receive your W-2 after filing a tax return without it, you may need to file an amended tax return using Form 1040X if the information on your W-2 does not match the original return you filed.
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