Here is What to do If You Are Missing a W-2

Here is What to do If You Are Missing a W-2

by | Feb 11, 2011 | Archives

Before you file your 2010 tax return, you should make sure you have all the needed documents including all your Forms W-2. You should receive a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from each of your employers. Employers have until January 31, 2011 to send you a 2010 Form W-2 earnings statement.

If you haven’t received your W-2, follow these four steps:

  1. Contact your employer If you have not received your W-2, contact your employer to inquire if and when the W-2 was mailed. If it was mailed, it may have been returned to the employer because of an incorrect or incomplete address. After contacting the employer, allow a reasonable amount of time for them to resend or to issue the W-2.
  2. Contact the IRS If you do not receive your W-2 by February 14th, contact the IRS for assistance at 800-829-1040. When you call, you must provide your name, address, city and state, including zip code, Social Security number, phone number and have the following information:
    • Employer’s name, address, city and state, including zip code and phone number
    • Dates of employment
    • An estimate of the wages you earned, the federal income tax withheld, and when you worked for that employer during 2010. The estimate should be based on year-to-date information from your final pay stub or leave-and-earnings statement, if possible.
  3. File your return You still must file your tax return or request an extension to file April 18, 2011, even if you do not receive your Form W-2. If you have not received your Form W-2 by the due date, and have completed steps 1 and 2, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Attach Form 4852 to the return, estimating income and withholding taxes as accurately as possible. There may be a delay in any refund due while the information is verified.
  4. File a Form 1040X On occasion, you may receive your missing W-2 after you filed your return using Form 4852, and the information may be different from what you reported on your return. If this happens, you must amend your return by filing a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.

If you need any assistance with this, please do not hesitate to contact me.

IRS Prepares to Process Delayed Forms

IRS Prepares to Process Delayed Forms

by | Feb 10, 2011 | Archives

The Internal Revenue Service plans to begin accepting tax returns with itemized deductions and other delayed forms after 11:00 am next Monday.

In an e-mail alert to software developers, return transmitters, authorized IRS e-file providers and electronic return originators on Wednesday, the IRS advised them that the implementation date for the forms affected by the Extender Provisions and Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 will be Feb. 14, 2011, after the 11:00 am “drain” of the legacy e-file system.

The e-mail alert added that the forms can be transmitted for PATS, or Participants Acceptance Testing, on Feb. 15, 2011, for the 11:00 am drain. However, according to IRS spokesperson Christina D’Amico, the drain, which is essentially a “data dump,” is only a technical process. The IRS will be able to start accepting the forms after 11:00 am on Monday.

The IRS said last month that it would be able to start processing the forms on Feb. 14, but did not specify a time (see IRS to Start Processing Itemized Returns on Feb. 14).

The affected forms include:
  • Schedule A, Itemized Deductions 
  • Form 3800, General Business Credit 
  • Form 4684, Casualties and Thefts 
  • Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and Repayment of the Credit (Page 2) 
  • Form 6478, Alcohol and Cellulosic Biofuel Fuels Credit 
  • Form 8834, Qualified Plug-in Electric and Electric Vehicle Credit 
  • Form 8859, District of Columbia First-Time Homebuyer Credit 
  • Form 8910, Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit 
  • Form 8917, Tuition and Fees Deduction
  • Form 8936, Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit

If you need assistance in getting your return prepared for Monday, please contact my office.