Tax Topic #752 |
2008 Tax Year |
Topic 752 - Form W-2 � Where, When, and How to File
It is your responsibility, as an employer, to file Copy A of Form W-2 (PDF), Wage and Tax Statement, with the Social
Security Administration (SSA) for your employees, showing the wages paid and
taxes withheld for the year. Since Form W-2 is the only document used to transmit
information on your employees' social security and Medicare wages for the
year, it is very important to prepare the forms correctly and timely.
There are separate Form W-2 and W-3 Instructions.
Use Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, as a cover
sheet when filing one or more Forms W-2 with the SSA. Be sure to order Form
W-3 when you order your W-2 forms. If you have questions about a particular
box on Forms W-2 or W-3, refer to the instructions, which give a detailed
explanation of each box. Here are a few important items to keep in mind when
preparing Form W-2:
- Type all entries using black ink and, if possible, a 12-point Courier
font.
- Use decimal points followed by cents (or zeroes for no cents). Do not
use dollar signs or commas.
- Please do not make any erasures, cross-outs, or white-outs. Copy A, which
is the first page, must be error free. If you make an error on a form, put
an "X" in the "Void" box, go to the next Form W-2 and start again. Do not mark the next Form W–2 as corrected.
- Form W-2 is printed with two forms on a page. Send in the whole Copy A
page (the page printed with red ink) even if one form is blank or void. Do
not cut or fold the page nor staple Forms W-2 to each other, or to Form W-3.
The official Form W-2 comes in 6 copies. Copy A must be sent to the SSA
with the transmittal Form W-3 by the last day of February of the year succeeding
the tax year to which the forms relate. Special due dates apply if you have
terminated your business. See Form W-2 and W-3 Instructions. Form W-3 is used
to transmit the Forms W-2 and contains figures reflecting the box totals of
all the Forms W-2 being sent. The address for mailing Copy A of the Forms
W-2 and W–3 is listed in the separate Form W-2 and W-3 Instructions.
Keep Copy D of Form W-2 for your own records. Send Copy 1 to your state
tax department. Contact that department for requirements and transmittal information.
You must give the remaining copies of Form W-2 to the employee by January
31 of the succeeding calendar year. If an employee stops working for you before
the end of the year, you may give your former employee Form W-2 anytime prior
to January 31, but no later than January 31. If the employee asks for the
Form W-2, you must give Copy B, Copy C, and Copy 2 to the employee within
30 days of the request, or within 30 days of the final wage payment, whichever
is later.
The totals for amounts reported on the related forms, ( Form 941 (PDF), Form 943 (PDF), Form
944, or Form 1040, Schedule H (PDF) for the
year) should equal those same totals reported on your Form W-2. If the totals
do not match, you should generally make corrections. If you discover an error
on an employee's Form W-2 after sending it to the SSA, submit a Form W-2c, Corrected
Wage and Tax Statement. You must submit a transmittal Form W-3c, Transmittal
of Corrected Wage and Tax Statements, with any Forms W-2c.
Employers filing 250 or more Forms W-2 must file electronically unless
granted a waiver by the IRS. However, all employers are encouraged to file
Forms W-2 electronically, even if filing fewer than 250 Forms W-2. If you
file your Forms W-2 electronically, the due date is March 31st. For more information
on electronic filing, refer to Topic 801, Topic 802, Topic 803, Topic 804, and Topic 805. Additionally, by using
a personal computer and a modem, you may obtain additional information on
electronic filing of Forms W-2 from the SSA's Business Services Online (BSO).
You can access BSO at www.socialsecurity.gov/employer.
You can also get electronic specifications by contacting the SSA's Employee
Reporting Branch at 800–772–6270. SSA no longer accepts magnetic
tapes, cartridges, or 3 1/2" diskettes. All Forms W-2 must be filed either
electronically or on paper.
You may also want to refer to Publication 15, (Circular E), Employer's
Tax Guide, Publication 51, ( Circular A), Agricultural
Employer's Tax Guide, Publication 15-A (PDF), Employer's
Supplemental Tax Guide, Publication 393 (PDF), Federal Employment
Tax Forms, Form 8809 (PDF), Application
for Extension of Time To File Information Returns, and Form 8508 (PDF), Request for Waiver From Filing Information Returns Electronically.
Page Last Reviewed or Updated: December 22, 2008
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