Form W-2 Explained

As a business owner, you have to deduct federal and state taxes from your employees’ incomes throughout the calendar year. Then, when tax season arrives, you’ll have to compile all of this information into W-2 forms. The Internal Revenue Service will need to receive each employee’s W-2 form. Each employee will also need three copies of their form. One copy stays with the employee, and the other two can be attached to the employee’s federal and state tax returns if they plan to mail in their taxes during tax filing season.

The Added Value Of Our Form W-2 Creator

The fact that all you need is a minute to generate your form W-2, have it e-mailed to you, download it and print it instantly, is enough for you to decide. Just enter the right values, including the company and the employee information, in addition to the wage details, and we’ll issue the calculations for you!

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What Is A W2 Generator & A W2 Online?

You’ve heard talks of the importance of the W2 generator and Form W2 but really, what is a W2 form and W2 online? Let’s break down its complexity and further discuss how to use a W2 maker. A Form W-2 is a document given by your employer that reflects the annual income or wages of each employee and the amount of taxes withheld from each paycheck. A W2 form is also known as a wage and tax statement. Read on to learn more about the W2 generator and see how you can easily create a W2 online.

When you prepare your tax return each year, your W2 comes in handy as your W2 form displays the amount withheld, that would then be subtracted from your taxes. The IRS could refund you a specific amount if by any chance, more income was taken out than necessary. As a general rule, always remember to attach a copy of your W2 form as you get ready to file your taxes. If you use online platforms to prepare your tax returns, a W2 online would deem very useful here. You could also benefit from trying out our W2 creator and create a W2 online! If you’re wondering how does a w2 form look like, well look no further.

What Does A W2 Form Look Like

What do I do with my W2? If you are trying to make sense of this complicated W2 online or the W2 form sent to you, you are not alone! Let’s dissect it to understand what is a w2 form and what it means. Almost every working person receives a W2 form and they will need to use it when declaring federal and income taxes.

In case you do not have your W2 online, you should always remember to keep your forms in a safe place where you can easily find them when you need them. While attempting to make sense of your W2 online or even read your form w2, there are so many boxes on your form, it can get quite convoluted. How can you decipher what they mean? Below, we’ve mentioned just a few of the lettered boxes on your w2 form and briefly laid out what they stand for;

Box A- Your social security number
a. Employee’s Social Security Number
Box B- Your employer’s tax ID number
b. Employer Identification Number
Box C- The name and address of the employer
c. Employer’s Name, Address, & Zip

What about the numbered boxes? Well, here’s a snippet below of just some of the boxes present on your W2 form.

Box 1

This should display your total taxable pay for federal income tax purposes. This will also include any tips or bonuses you make along the way.

1. Wages, tips, other compensation
Box 2

This box shows the figure that your employer has withheld for federal income tax reasons. That is the amount of federal income tax that you have already paid off.

2. Federal income tax withheld
Box 3

Includes the total amount of your pay that you will need to pay Social Security tax on.

3. Social security wages

Doesn’t sound too bad now right? These are just some of the items that you will need to understand, to be able to read your W2 form correctly and make sense of it. Here’s an article to help you understand and read your W2 form without the help of a tax professional.

How To Get A Form W2?

You’re probably thinking about how to get a w2 form, well, by law your employer is required to send you your Form W2 each year. The deadline for it to be sent out is January 31st or the next business day at the latest, if, it happens to fall on a weekend. However, if for any reason you did not receive one, you can contact your employer or HR department to send you a copy.

Can I get my W2 online, is a legitimate question. Most people are either handed a form or await its arrival in the mail. An online W2 Form is possible to acquire and will save you a lot of time. If you’re still questioning how to get W2 form, simply use a W2 generator to create a W2 online in a matter of minutes. Get with the times and get your W2 online. The faster you send in your tax returns, the sooner you can get your refund! Use a W2 creator and get started.

How Can I Get A Copy Of My W2 If I lost it?

Don’t beat yourself up on a lost W2, you’re not the only one out there with a lost w2. A missing W2 is quite a common occurrence. However, the IRS is not as forgiving of human errors or missing W2 forms. Any tax returns filed, without all the required documentation will be rejected. That is, even if you file on or before the due date. This may be a better option than getting penalized. You can always use a W2 creator or check out your full list of options below;

Contact Your Employer:

Are you missing a W2 form? If you have recently switched jobs or lost a w2 form, contacting your previous employer is the first step. You should check with your HR department if they can give you a copy of your W-2 or else you would need to examine another one of your options below.

Contact The IRS:

If you’re thinking to yourself, when will I get my W2? The following procedure with the IRS will take roughly around 10 business days. The IRS agent will try to contact and notify your employer as well.

File For An Extension:

Since you’ve got a misplaced or lost W2, you will need to file for an extension with the IRS so you can buy yourself some time to receive a copy of your W2. The extension can be up to 6 months. Remember that you also have the easy option to get your W2 online through a W2 creator

Through a Pay Stub:

Still thinking how can I get a copy of my W2 if I lost it? Well, there just might be another way to get the same results while you wait for a hardcopy or an online W2. Almost all of the information mentioned in a form W2 can be found on your paystub. Shocking right? Though they are 2 very different forms, they show you some of the same information.

You can calculate your W2 wages through any recent paystub of yours. For accurate information, be sure to use your latest stub. You’ll want to total all of the income that you’ve made, and exclude the deductions from your taxable income. The amount you arrive at, should match box number 1 on your W2 form when you receive it. Learn more about how to calculate your W2 wages easily.

Use a W2 Generator:

Solve the lost W2 issue with a W2 maker. When all else fails or it’s taking too long to retrieve your lost W2, using a w2 generator is your best bet. A W2 maker helps you create W2 online in minutes. All you need to do is insert your employee and salary information correctly and the W2 maker calculates the amounts for you to adequately file your tax return. Give the W2 maker a try by creating a W2 form online today.

Beware The Penalties: A Missing W2 And The IRS

A lost W2 can cause you more than mere inconveniences. If you have not used a W2 creator to get your W2 online and did not file your W2 , watch out! The IRS charges significant penalties for incomplete tax filing and they vary depending on if you are an employer or an employee. Your safest and cheapest option is to file your tax return by its due date, even if you have a missing w2 form. To avoid such retributions a reliable solution is to use a W2 creator to issue yourself a W2 online and avoid the punishments associated.

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The Curious Case Of Multiple W2 Forms

Are you confused about how to file your tax returns if you have multiple W2 forms? As previously mentioned, a W2 form is given annually by each employer. If you happen to be working 2 or more jobs, each employer by law is required to give you a W-2 Form. Yes, you will end up with a few of them

You must attach all of them to your tax returns. If you happen to have a missing W2 form that wasn’t filed, you need to make sure that you contact the IRS and make the necessary amendments. Otherwise, if and when they find out, you could be audited and this could lead to more serious problems.

Save yourself the trouble of getting audited and get an online w2. Remember that for every W2 form you file, the IRS receives one from your employer so the chances of dodging your payments are pretty slim. Forgetting to attach a W2 form but reporting the income will spare you the penalty! Keep in mind that you might have to pay interest on the amount of tax you underpaid to the IRS. Ouch!

Form W2 vs Form W4

What is a W2 form and What is W4? A Form W2 and Form W4 are very different although many individuals and companies use and mess them up interchangeably. Although most working individuals receive these forms, Independent contractors file in a separate manner. Did you know that reporting inaccurate holdings on a W4 form is possibly one of the most common payroll errors out there? This is a serious issue as the Internal revenue service (IRS) needs to understand just how much income an individual earns during a tax year

Unlike a W2 form, A W4 is given out when a new employer joins a company. He/she is asked to fill out a mandatory W4 form unless they make a less than an annual sum of $800. Filling out a W4 form depends on several influencing factors such as marital status, number of children, number of dependents, and employment status.

What’s the difference?
W2

A document provided to employees and the IRS by their employer at the end of every year.

W4

A document filed by an employee whenever he or she begins a new job.

A W4 form helps an employer understand just how much money they should take out of your paycheck and place it towards your federal income tax liability. The above factors could influence your decision on this matter. It’s a personal choice whether you would rather have more take-home pay throughout the year or if you prefer to get a refund at the set date.

Remember that if you withhold too little, you could end up owing taxes and get stuck with a possible penalty. While the other option is safer and the refund doesn’t really sound that bad after all. If you need to create W2 online just use the W2 creator.

Adjusted Gross Income

Navigating your way through financial and tax lingo can be quite daunting. Educating yourself on such things though, can pay off especially with topics such as adjusted gross income or more commonly known as AGI. AGI is short for a formula that subtracts a select number of deductions from your total gross income. This is essentially how you calculate your tax liability. It is crucial to know your AGI while preparing to file your tax return.

Taxable income is not the same as AGI although they are often mistaken to be one and the same. The taxable income formula is the following; your personal exemptions and your itemized deductions are subtracted from your AGI. To calculate your AGI from your W2 form, you will need to list all of the possible forms of income sources such as;

  • Taxable interest from your bank accounts
  • Annuities
  • Capital gains
  • Contributions toward select types of retirement accounts
  • Dividends paid on your stocks
  • Alimony payments received
  • Any earnings you made from your business
  • Royalties received
  • Any taxable money from pensions, retirement plans, and social security

All of us want to lower our tax liability and thus it helps to understand about adjusted gross income and keep it at a minimal rate.

Getting And Filing A W2 Online

For business owners and companies, the deadline to file W-2 forms is January 31st of every year. This date was decided upon to help tackle and prevent tax fraud. This particular date applies to both a hard copy and an online W2. It is recommended that W2s be prepared and given out to employees ahead of time so if any errors are present they could be rectified and sent ahead of the due date.

Be wary of new policies! If your company files 250 or more W2 forms during a calendar year, you are obliged to file them electronically or face a penalty! Always stay in the know as there are mentions of mandating businesses to e-file if they have 100 or more W2’s to file in 2021 and 10 W2’s or more in the year to follow. The electronic trend is increasing. Avoid the penalties and stay ahead of the game with a w2 maker that helps you create W2 online forms for all your employees in half the time you would usually spend. As a matter of fact, the Social Security Administration (SSA) actually prefers online W2 forms to be filed as opposed to paper records.

Individuals planning to file their tax returns online need to also remember that paper records will be challenging to handle when filing with the SSA. Asking your employer for your W2 or creating your tax documents online can come in handy especially at this moment. Using a W2 generator to create W2 online is your best bet. This way you need not worry about a lost W2 or other misplaced documents as you will always have a record of them online or in your inbox. Keep in mind that the sooner you file your tax returns, the sooner you are scheduled to get your refund. Upon filing, you can even use various online platforms that help you find out where your refund is, or how long it would take to reach you.

How To Avoid Job Discrimination

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When you go for a job interview, you might find that some employers or human resource specialists ask you for your W2 form (be it a hard copy or an online w2) Is this legal? The quick answer is, it’s complicated! While there is no federal law that prohibits an employer from requesting a form W2, many state laws prevent this practice and even the mention of your Social Security Number is a big No-No prior to signing or being offered a position with them.

Many states have already banned or plan to ban the famous question regarding one’s salary history. This is considered an invasion of privacy! A potential employer can see your previous income on your W2 form or online W2 as well as your protected status. Many companies or business owners find themselves facing claims of discrimination especially if the candidate in question was not hired. Be careful of such endeavors and do your homework on state laws prior to your interview. Good luck on your interview and be prepared to answer confidently when asked such questions to avoid job discrimination.

That’s Good To Know!

Here are some helpful things for you to know and keep in mind when filing your tax returns. Always make sure to file on or before the tax due date i.e April 15th of each year. Whether you have all your paperwork in order or you are facing a few issues, you can always file for amendments later on. Spare yourself the trouble and file your tax returns on time.

Have you moved recently? Stayed in two or more states in a calendar year? If you have lived in 3 different states, brace yourself for some bad news. You would need to pay state income taxes in all of the 3 or more states that you resided in. Pay close attention when filing requirements for each state you lived in prior to filing your return. Get in the know and understand all you need to know about state income tax rates.

Having Electronic copies of your documents is proving more and more popular. A W2 creator can help you out. A W2 online is not only helpful for the environment but also easy to locate and store. While filling your form W2 online be sure to follow all the guidelines.

If for any reason, you have no reportable income, leave the specific box blank unless otherwise specified by the online software you are using. This, however, could stop you from continuing the electronic filing process. The IRS could prevent you from e-filing as they do not allow electronically filed W2s with missing values in boxes, especially box 1. Redo your calculations and know your options.

After all this information, If you feel like you are in need of creating your form W2 online, this option has never been easier, especially with the help of the modern W2 generator. It’s easy to fill your information and has accurate calculations to help you out. Our satisfied customer base can testify to that. Go on and create a W2 online with a W2 creator. Fill, file, and get your tax refund fast. You can then invest and multiply it or use it for your benefit. For more informative videos on W2 forms or the W2 maker, you can subscribe to our youtube channel to stay in the know and stay compliant of the latest laws.

Be sure to browse through our website while you’re at it and you can make use of our paystub generator that can help you create pay stubs online in minutes. Pick out one of the modern yet professional pay stub template of your choice and discover the ease of creating a paystub online. You’ll keep coming back after your first try- guaranteed!

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