Can’t find your W-2 form? Here’s what to do in order to file your taxes on time
Taxpayers have been able to file taxes since late January, and your employer should have issued your W-2 form by Jan. 31, per federal deadlines.
But what if you can’t find the form? Maybe you lost it, or maybe your employer never sent it.
The W-2 is one of the main forms you’ll need to file your state and federal taxes accurately, so you’ll need to find it or obtain another copy.
We’ve compiled information on the proper steps to take if you find yourself in this situation.
What is a W-2 form?
A Form W-2, or a Wage and Tax Statement, is a form filled out by your employer that lists the money you were paid in a year, plus any income, Social Security or Medicare taxes that were withheld.
The IRS says every employer who pays wages for services performed by employees must file a W-2 form for each employee from whom:
▪ Income, Social Security, or Medicare tax was withheld.
▪ Income tax would have been withheld, if the employee had claimed no more than one withholding allowance or had not claimed exemption from withholding on Form W-4, the Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate.
In short, if you were employed in 2022, received income for your work and had some form of taxes withheld from your pay, your employer most likely should have filed a W-2 form listing your wages and taxes.
When were W-2 forms sent out in 2023?
Employers were given a federal deadline of Jan. 31, 2023, to distribute W-2 forms to employees.
You should have received your form electronically or by mail before, on or shortly after that date, though the IRS says you generally shouldn’t be concerned unless it’s past the end of February and you haven’t received it.
I received a W-2 form, but lost it. What do I do?
▪ If you received a W-2, then lost it, you should first contact your employer.
If your employer sent one to you to begin with, they should be able to send you another copy, either by mail or electronically. Make sure you provide the correct mailing address if they are sending it by mail.
▪ If your employer says they are unable to provide another copy of your W-2, you should contact the IRS.
You can contact the agency by calling 800-829-1040. Make sure you have on hand your name, address, Social Security number and phone number, plus your employer’s name, address and phone number and the dates you worked for them. It will also be helpful to have your employer identification number handy.
A note about deadlines: Taxes are due to be filed by April 18 this year. If you’ve lost your W-2 form, try to request a new one through your employer or the IRS as quickly as possible. If the filing deadline is approaching and you still haven’t received a new form, you may need to file for an extension while you wait for your new W-2 — but you’ll need to do so by the April 18 deadline.
I never received a W-2 form. What do I do?
If you never received a W-2 form from your employer, you should first try to contact them to obtain one.
▪ Make sure they have your correct mailing address so that the form gets sent to the right place.
But if it’s past the end of February and you still haven’t received the form, you’ll need to contact the IRS. The IRS will try to contact your employer or payer and request the missing form.
To contact the IRS, call 800-829-1040 or make an appointment with an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center.
Make sure you have on hand:
▪ Your name, address, Social Security number and phone number
▪ Your employer’s name, address and phone number
▪ The dates you worked for the employer
▪ An estimate of your wages and federal income tax withheld in the year for which you are filing taxes (in 2023, you’re filing taxes for 2022). You can use your final pay stub from the previous year to figure these amounts.
Note: As described above, you’ll need to pay attention to the tax filing deadline when requesting a new W-2 form. It could take a while for the new form to get to you, so if the filing deadline is coming up soon, you might need to request an extension to avoid penalties.
Without W-2, you may need Form 4852 or Form 4868
If you don’t receive your W-2 in time to file by the April 18 deadline, the IRS outlines two options for filing your taxes:
▪ File your return by the April 18 deadline, but use Form 4852, the Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. You will need to estimate your wages and withholding as best as you can. Using your pay stubs should help.
▪ File for an extension on your taxes using Form 4868. You must file for an extension by the tax filing deadline of April 18, or you could face failure to file penalties.
Note: If you receive your W-2 after filing with a substitute form and the information on the forms differs, you will need to file an amended tax return using Form 1040X.
Additional resources about W-2 forms
Looking for more information from the IRS about W-2 forms? Visit irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-2.
