The Legality of Filing Without Your W-2
technically, it is possible to legally file taxes without your W-2 if you file electronically, but in ordain to do your taxes correctly you will need the data contained in your W-2. This includes the follow :
- Your employer’s identification number
- Your employer’s name and address
- Your total wages, including tips and any other compensation
- Amount of federal income tax withheld
- Your social security wages and tips (as separate items)
- Social security tax withheld
- Medicare wages and tips
- Medicare tax withheld
- State income tax withheld
- Any local income taxes withheld
When you file electronically, you are not required to submit a copy of your W-2 itself, but will alone need to enter the data from it. however, it is recommended to keep your W-2 in a safe space in case you need to produce it in the future, such as in the event of an audit, or for other purposes such as background checks .
Keep in heed that your employer should have filed a W-2 shape with the Social Security Administration ( SSA ) by the conclusion of January and the SSA will have shared this information with the IRS, so if the numbers you enter differ from what your employer reported, you could end up with an audit on your hands.
In the event of an audited account, you will need to produce documents, ( such as your W-2 ) to prove your income and withholding. In such an consequence, you could end up with legal difficulties if you can ’ t show that the numbers you entered were in good faith .
The best invest to find accurate numbers for income and withholding besides your W-2 form is on your last pay stub of the class. If you don ’ triiodothyronine have this in hand, you may be able to find it online through your employer or get a copy of it from your party ’ s human resources agency. The best manner to make sure your information is accurate and consistent with what your employer has filed is to get the numbers immediately off of the W-2 itself .
What If I File by Mail?
If you file your taxes by chain mail, the IRS does require that you include a replicate of your W-2 with your return. Failing to do then will most likely resultant role in a letter from the IRS requesting the missing document .
Don ’ thyroxine fret, however, if the reason you failed to include your W-2 when mailing your taxes was that you didn ’ t have it. You can make an undertake to get a transcript from your employer or you can amend your revert and file a shape 4852 for estimated numbers .
When Am I Supposed to Get My W-2?
Employers are required to send W-2s to the SSA by the end of January. This means you should expect the shape from your employer on or before that clock, though it ’ s possible to still receive it a few days after the end of January if your employer mailed it to you on the day of the deadline. 
While some employers mail these documents, others make them available electronically or provide them via both methods. It ’ s constantly a estimable idea to keep your address and email up to date with your employer to prevent authoritative documents from getting lost in the chain mail .
If you haven ’ thyroxine received your W-2 by mid-february, contact your employer to see what happened. This will most probable resolve the issue.
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What if I Am Unable to Get a W-2?
If your W-2 never arrives and your employer refuses to resolve the situation, you can contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 or locate an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center and let them know. They will contact your employer and try to resolve the site. The IRS, being a politics authority, tends to be full at motivating negligent employers who want to avoid legal consequences .
If a W-2 form is truly inaccessible, you can fill out form 4852 with your best estimates for your earnings and withholdings. Again, the best home to find these numbers is on your end-of-the-year paystub .
All About Form 4852
IRS phase 4852 is only entail to be used if your employer fails to provide you with a W-2 or your W-2 was faulty. It shouldn ’ t be used if you merely misplaced your W-2. In such an event, request another transcript from your employer alternatively. Keep in judgment that you may face penalties if the IRS determines you used this kind to avoid paying taxes or to enter deceitful information .
How to File Form 4852
The IRS does not accept on-line submissions of Form 4852, so you will need to print and mail the command forms to the IRS. To fill out this form, you will need to enter the succeed :
- Estimated numbers for all wages earned and taxes withheld that would have been listed on your W-2
- A statement explaining how you came up with those numbers
- Your employer’s name and address
- An explanation of how you tried to obtain your W-2 from your employer
The information you enter on this imprint can be a full faith estimate, but if you later obtain information suggesting your numbers weren ’ metric ton correct, you are required to file an better return with update information.
Can My Tax Service Get My W-2 For Me?
Some tax services are able to obtain your W-2 for you electronically before you would receive yours in the mail, or in the event you lost yours. The handiness of your W-2 through such services does depend on whether your employer has filed your W-2 yet or not, so it may still take until the end of January to get your W-2 this way .
not all W-2s will inevitably be available through these services, however, and frequently if they are, it ’ sulfur because your company already provides you with a means to electronically access your W-2 form.
What If I’m an Independent Contractor?
If you are an independent contractor, then you should not be expecting any W-2s. alternatively, any company from which you earned more than $ 600 for the year should send you a form 1099 rather. This shape serves a alike aim to the W-2, except it will not show any withholdings, since as an freelancer contractor, you are responsible for taxes on your own .
If you fail to receive a 1099 from a caller, all of the lapp instructions above lend oneself. namely, you can contact the company if you failed to receive it, and file a form 4852 and report the situation to the IRS if that proves bootless. If you ‘re a freelance, suction stop hera to read more on how to file taxes without a W-2 .
It’s Always Best to Wait for or Obtain Your W-2
Regardless of whether it ’ s technically legal or not to file your taxes without your W-2, it ’ s in your best interest to wait to file until you have your W-2 in hand. otherwise, you risk errors in your tax shape and potential problems down the road .
