Bucks Blog: What to Do if Your W-2 Is Missing

Most workers have received their W-2 forms from their employers by now. Companies are required to provide the forms to employees, showing their annual income, tax payments and other deductions, by Jan. 31.

But what if you haven’t received one yet, and you’re anxious to file your taxes because you’re expecting a refund? Kay Bell, contributing tax editor at Bankrate.com, says there are alternatives if the form hasn’t arrived in your mailbox.

First, she suggests that you doublecheck your e-mail inbox. Many employers now make W-2s available electronically, often using systems that require users to log on to a separate Web site. So if you tend to ignore certain e-mails, you may have overlooked this one.

If it’s not there, contact your employer to make sure it has have your correct address. Maybe it just got behind sending out the forms, or maybe it put the form in the mail on Jan. 31. In that case, you’ll have to be a bit more patient. The Internal Revenue Service generally advises waiting until mid-February. “Some employers are just slow,” Ms. Bell said.

But what if your employer has gone out of business and hasn’t made provisions for providing the necessary tax documents to former employees? All is not lost, she says. First, contact the I.R.S. They may be able to locate representatives of the company and persuade them to send the documents.

But if that doesn’t work, you can create your own version of the W-2, using your last paycheck stub, if you have it. Otherwise, you’ll have to estimate. You can fill in the information on a substitute document from the I.R.S. on Form 4852.

Attach the form to your tax return when you file. The downside is that your refund will probably be delayed while the I.R.S. attempts to verify the information on the form.

If you do file with a substitute form and your actual W-2 shows up, you should amend your return.

Have you ever had to file a substitute W-2 form? What happened?

Article source: http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/what-to-do-if-your-w-2-is-missing/?partner=rss&emc=rss