Action Line: Retrieving missing W-2 forms
BY PHIL MULKINS World Action Line Editor
Sunday, February 17, 2013
2/17/13 at 4:14 AM
Dear Action Line: What do we do about missing W-2s? My employer has yet to deliver them to us. - N.W.H., Bugtussle
It's a good idea to have all your tax documents together before preparing your 2012 tax return, and this always starts with your "W-2, Wage and Tax Statement." This is a document employers must mail or hand-deliver to employees by Jan. 31 following the tax year. The recommended two-week mail-delay waiting period has passed, meaning you should follow these three IRS-recommended steps.
Contact your employer: Ask your employer - or former employer - to send your W-2 if it has not been sent. Make sure your employer has your correct address.
Contact IRS: Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 if you have not received your W-2. Be prepared to provide your name, address, Social Security number, phone number; employer's name, address and phone number; your employment dates; and an estimate of your wages and federal income tax withheld in 2012, based on your final pay stub or "leave-and-earnings statement" (a U.S. military term known as "LES," that documents pay and leave status per month) when appropriate. This situation underscores the need for saving your pay stubs for the tax year.
File return on time: You should still file your tax return on or before April 15, 2013, even if you haven't received your W-2. File IRS "Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement" ( tulsaworld.com/IRSForm4852) in place of the W-2. Use the form to estimate your income and withholding taxes as accurately as possible.
Six-month filing extension: When you need more time to file the return, request a six-month extension of time to file. File IRS "Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File US Individual Income Tax Return" ( tulsaworld.com/irsform4868). If you are requesting an extension, you must file this form on or before April 15, 2013.
Corrections: When you receive the missing W-2 after filing your tax return and the information on the W-2 is different than what you reported on Form 4852, you must correct your return. File IRS "Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return" ( tulsaworld.com/irsform1040x)to amend your return.
Call for forms: All IRS forms, their instructions and publications are available at IRS.gov or by calling 800-829-3676.
YouTube: Also see IRS YouTube videos: W-2 Missing? - in English at tulsaworld.com/missingw2eng, in Spanish at tulsaworld.com/missingw2spn and in American sign language at tulsaworld.com/missingw2asl
Original Print Headline: Retrieving missing W-2 forms for tax returns
Submit Action Line questions by calling 918-699-8888, emailing phil.mulkins@tulsaworld.com or by mailing them to Tulsa World Action Line, PO Box 1770, Tulsa OK 74102-1770.
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