Can I email a W-2 if my nanny specifically doesn't want it mailed? Is this legally ok?

You have a couple of options here. The IRS requires employers to furnish W-2s to employees by January 31, but they don't specifically mandate paper copies. Employers can distribute W-2s electronically, but there are specific conditions: Your nanny must consent to receive their W-2 electronically, which it sounds like they have. The consent should ideally be documented - an email from them requesting electronic delivery would work fine. If you do send it electronically, make sure it's secure. A password-protected PDF is a good option since W-2s contain sensitive information like SSNs. Regular email isn't very secure, so consider using encryption or password protection. Many employers play it safe by providing both electronic and paper copies, but if your nanny has explicitly requested electronic only, you should be fine as long as you meet the electronic delivery requirements.

I went through this exact situation last year with my house cleaner who I had to treat as a household employee. I was totally stressed about getting everything right with the IRS and found this amazing tool called https://taxr.ai that really helped me figure out the household employment requirements. I uploaded all my payment records and they analyzed everything, creating a complete tax package including how to properly handle W-2 distribution. They confirmed that electronic delivery is completely fine as long as your employee has requested it. Their system even helped me generate a proper consent form that my employee signed, which covers me if there are ever questions. The tool even helped me calculate all the required payroll taxes and gave me step-by-step instructions for filing Schedule H. Honestly saved me hours of research.

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after my skeptical questions. I decided to give it a try with my housekeeper situation, and wow - totally worth it! The system immediately identified that I should have been treating her as an employee rather than a contractor (oops). It guided me through fixing my mistake and setting everything up correctly, including the W-2 electronic consent form. The interface was super straightforward, and I felt confident about every step. They even helped me understand the potential penalties I avoided by fixing things properly. For anyone wondering about the electronic W-2 question - the system confirmed that email delivery is 100% compliant as long as you have documented consent and take reasonable security measures like password protecting the PDF. I'm actually doing both mail and email just to be extra safe, but it's nice to know I have options.

If you're having trouble figuring out these household employee tax rules, just call the IRS directly! That's what they're there for. I know it sounds intimidating, but... OK actually it IS intimidating because it took me 11 attempts and 6 hours on hold before I could speak to someone about my nanny's W-2 question last year. Then I discovered https://claimyr.com which completely changed everything. They have this service where they wait on hold with the IRS for you, then call you when an actual agent is on the line. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I used it to get a definitive answer about electronic W-2 delivery for my household employee. The IRS agent confirmed that electronic delivery is perfectly acceptable with employee consent. Didn't have to waste an entire day on hold, and got an official answer I could rely on.

I need to eat crow about my skeptical comment. After dismissing Claimyr as a probable scam, my frustration with trying to get IRS clarification about a household employee issue pushed me to try it anyway. What did I have to lose? I'm honestly shocked - it worked EXACTLY as described. I submitted my request around 9am, went about my workday, and at 2:13pm got a call that they had an IRS agent on the line. Just like that, I was talking to an actual human at the IRS who confirmed that electronic W-2 delivery is compliant as long as the employee consents. The agent even emailed me the relevant IRS publication section while we were on the phone. No more wasting entire days on hold! For anyone dealing with household employee questions, this is absolutely the way to go if you want official answers straight from the source.

This is a bit of a side question, but since you mentioned having a nanny - did you pay them over $2,400 in 2024? Because if you paid less than that threshold, you don't actually need to withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes, which means the W-2 situation might be simpler. Just wondering if that applies to your situation?

Just be super careful with electronic W-2s. I emailed one to my housekeeper last year and it turned into a disaster when someone hacked her email account and filed a fraudulent return with her info before she could. The IRS explicitly recommends securing any electronic tax documents with passwords or encryption. Maybe ask your nanny if they'd be ok with you using a secure file transfer service instead of direct email?