How to Get Your W-2 from a Previous Employer: Full Guide
Left a job and the W-2 never arrived? Start with the payroll portal and the employer, verify your address, and know the IRS options available when the form still cannot be obtained.
Category
W-2 Form
Understanding and using your annual wage statement.
Form W-2 is the document the IRS matches against your tax return, which makes it worth understanding rather than simply forwarding to a preparer. This section explains every box in plain English, covers why Boxes 1, 3 and 5 rarely agree, decodes the Box 12 letters, shows how to reconcile the form against your final pay stub, and sets out what to do when a W-2 arrives wrong or never arrives at all.
What Happens If You Don't File a W-2?
A missing W-2 does not make the wages disappear. Here is what actually happens when W-2 income is left off a return, and the difference between never receiving the form and not reporting it.
What Happens If I Only File 1 W-2 Form?
Received more than one W-2 and used only one? Here is what gets left out of your return, whether the IRS will notice, and how to fix it before or after filing.