Missing a W-2? Here is what you do!

In order to file your 2010 tax return, you need to have all of your financial and tax documents including all your W-2 employment forms. You should receive Wage and Tax Statement, Form W-2, from each employer you worked for in 2010. January 31st, 2011 was the deadline for employers to send you a 2010 W-2 earnings statement.

If you know you should have received a W-2 from a certain employer but haven’t received it, you can follow these steps:

1.   Contact Your Employer: Contact the employer to inquire if and when your Form W-2 was mailed out to you. Make sure they have your correct address on file and have sent it to the right place. Otherwise, it may have been returned to them. After talking to the employer, allow a couple of weeks for them to resend or issue your Form W-2.
2.   Contact the IRS: If you still have not received your Form W-2 by February 14th, contact the IRS for help. The number to reach them is 1(800) 829-1040. You must provide them with your full name, address, city and state, zip code, Social Security Number, phone number, and the following additional information about the employer:
a.   Employer’s name, address, city, state, zip code and phone number
b.   Dates of employment
c.    An estimate of your wages earned and federal tax withheld during your 2010 employment there. You should base your estimate on your final pay stub or leave-and-earnings statement, if that’s possible.
3.   File Your Return: Even if you do not receive your Form W-2, you still have to file your return or request for an extension to file by April 18th, 2011. If you do not receive your Form W-2 by the due date, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2. Attach Form 4852 to your return, with your estimated income and withholding taxes as accurate as possible. Your return may be slightly delayed in order to verify the information.
4.   File a Form 1040X: Occasionally, you might receive your missing Form W-2 after your taxes have already been filed using Form 4852. If the information you reported differs from the information reported on the W-2 by a lot, you must amend your return by filing a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.

To be certain you are doing everything correctly, contact one of our trained Tax Patriots to help you with any questions and concerns. We can provide you with the necessary forms and instruct you on how to fill them out and file them correctly.

You can also download Form 4852, Form 1040X and their instructions from the IRS website.