Another option no one has mentioned yet is using the free version of TaxAct Business. You can create and print W2s without paying anything, though they do limit the number of employees in the free version (I think it's 5 or fewer). It's worked great for my small shop for the past few years. The interface is pretty straightforward - you enter employee info once and it carries over to all the forms. You can print on plain paper too, no need for the special forms if you're just giving copies to your employees. For Copy A that goes to the SSA, you can still use the electronic filing option once your account is verified.

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned Excel templates. There are several free W2 Excel templates available online that you can download and use. I've been using them for years for my small business. You just enter the information once in the designated cells, and it automatically populates across all copies. Then print on regular paper and you're good to go. Microsoft even offers some through their template library. Just search "W2 template Excel" and you'll find several options. Way easier than handwriting or using a PDF editor to place text in specific spots.

yall making this way too complicated tbh. Upload your transcript to taxr.ai and let AI figure it out. Best dollar I ever spent no cap

Thanks everyone for the helpful info! I was just as confused as OP about these processing codes. Found my cycle code (20230605) so looks like I'm in the weekly update group. Really appreciate @Ethan Davis breaking down where to find it on the transcript - that was exactly what I needed to know!

Does anyone know if Cash App sends the 1099-K forms directly to the IRS? I didn't get one but I did have some side hustle money come in thru Cash App last year. Like around $800 total.

Just to clarify something that might help - when you say you and your husband both have identical amounts on lines 12 and 14, are you filing jointly or separately? If you're married filing jointly, you'd only have ONE 1040 form between the two of you, not separate forms. If you're seeing two separate 1040s with identical line 12/14 amounts and you're married filing separately, then yes, that's completely normal as others have explained - the standard deduction is the same for people with the same filing status. Also, your Cash App transactions for helping your parents and brother are likely just personal transfers, not taxable income, so they wouldn't affect these lines anyway. The confusion might be coming from thinking these personal money transfers need to be reported somewhere on your tax return when they actually don't.

Has anyone here used TurboTax when they had a year with workers comp? Did it handle the situation correctly or did you need to make adjustments?

I went through this exact same situation two years ago and it was really confusing at first! The negative W2 wages are completely normal - it's just how payroll systems handle the transition from regular taxable wages to non-taxable workers comp benefits. What probably happened is your employer initially processed some payments as regular wages early in the year, then had to "reverse" or correct those entries once your workers comp status was finalized. The negative numbers you're seeing are essentially the system's way of backing out those wages so they don't incorrectly appear as taxable income on your final W2. Your actual W2 at year-end will show the correct amount of taxable wages you earned (which sounds like it would be zero if you've been on workers comp the entire year). Don't worry about having to explain negative numbers to the IRS - they'll never see those paystub details, just the final corrected totals on your W2 form.

Has anyone actually run the numbers both ways? In my experience, filing separately almost never saves money for most couples, especially in Texas which has no state income tax. The only times I've seen MFS work better is with income-based student loan repayment plans or if one spouse has massive medical expenses or casualty losses.

This exact same thing happened to my sister and brother-in-law last year! The "disappearing refund" when combining W-2s is usually because one spouse (or both) had their withholding set up assuming they were the only income earner in the household. At $135k combined income, you're definitely not hitting any major penalty thresholds - this is purely a withholding issue. When you file jointly, the IRS looks at your total household income and applies the tax brackets accordingly, but your individual employers were each withholding based on incomplete information. Before you decide on filing separately, I'd strongly recommend using the IRS withholding calculator on their website to see what your 2025 W-4s should look like. Filing separately might seem appealing now, but you'll likely lose out on valuable credits and deductions that could cost you way more than the few hundred you currently owe. The good news is this is totally fixable for next year once you get your withholdings aligned properly!