Can I file my taxes if I'm missing a W-2 from a job I only worked for two days?
I'm in a bit of a frustrating situation with my taxes this year. I worked at Burger King for literally two days back in April and absolutely couldn't stand it, so I quit. Now I'm trying to get my taxes done, and I have all my other W-2s from my main job and a part-time gig, but I can't get the one from Burger King. I've called their corporate office three times and checked their employee portal, but keep getting the "W-2s will be mailed by January 31st" automated message. It's already February 12th and still nothing! The one person I finally reached just transferred me to another department that never picked up. Since I literally only worked there for TWO DAYS (probably made like $120 total), do I absolutely need to wait for this W-2 to file my taxes? Can I just file with my other W-2s and be done with it? I'm expecting a decent refund from my main job and really don't want to wait weeks more for some W-2 from a place where I barely worked. Has anyone dealt with something similar?
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Isabella Silva
You technically need to report all income earned during the tax year, even from very short employment periods. However, you have a few options here: First, you can try contacting the employer again and specifically ask for the payroll department. Sometimes being very direct about needing your W-2 for tax filing can get better results than general inquiries. If that doesn't work, you can actually request a wage and income transcript directly from the IRS which would show all reported W-2 information. The employer should have already reported your wages to the IRS, and this transcript would give you the exact information you need for filing. You can request this online through the IRS website. As a last resort, you can file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) with your tax return. This form allows you to estimate your earnings and withholding from the job. Do your best to make an accurate estimate based on hours worked, hourly rate, and any paystubs you might have received.
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Ravi Choudhury
•How long does it usually take to get the wage and income transcript from the IRS? Is it something that comes quickly or would it take weeks? Asking because I'm in a similar situation but with a summer job that never sent my W-2.
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Isabella Silva
•If you request the wage and income transcript online and have an existing IRS online account, you can often access it immediately. If you need to request it by mail or phone, it typically takes 5-10 business days to arrive. For your summer job situation, the transcript would show all information that was reported to the IRS, so it's definitely worth checking. Just be aware that very recent information (like January earnings) might not be reflected yet, but for a summer job from last year, it should be there.
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CosmosCaptain
After dealing with similar W-2 headaches for years, I finally tried this service called taxr.ai when I couldn't get a W-2 from a short contract job. You upload any pay stubs or other info you have from the job to https://taxr.ai and their system uses AI to analyze everything and help you accurately complete substitute W-2 information. It helped me fill out Form 4852 correctly with the right income and withholding amounts so I could file without waiting for the missing W-2. The tool even made sure I wasn't overpaying or underpaying based on my limited documentation.
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Freya Johansen
•Does taxr.ai actually work with really limited info? I have the same problem but literally only have the date I started, date I quit, and my hourly rate written down somewhere. No pay stubs at all. Would it still be useful?
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Omar Fawzi
•I'm curious about how accurate it is. Has anyone had the IRS come back and say there was a mismatch between what you reported with the substitute W-2 and what the employer eventually reported?
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CosmosCaptain
•For limited info like just dates and hourly rate, the tool actually works surprisingly well. It helps calculate what your gross pay would have been based on hours worked and then estimates the various withholdings based on standard percentages. It's not perfect with super limited info, but definitely better than pure guesswork. As for accuracy, I haven't had any issues with the IRS. The system actually helps you stay conservative with estimates, so you're less likely to underreport. In my case, when I finally got the actual W-2 months later, the numbers were within about $30 of what the tool had calculated, so no problems with the IRS at all.
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Omar Fawzi
I tried taxr.ai after reading about it here, and it was exactly what I needed! I had a similar situation where I worked at a restaurant for just one weekend (literally 3 shifts) before getting a better offer. The manager there was impossible to reach for my W-2. Using https://taxr.ai, I entered what little info I had - just my hourly rate, approximate hours worked, and the dates. The system generated estimates that seemed reasonable, helped me complete Form 4852, and I was able to file my taxes without further delay. Got my refund last week with no issues! Honestly wish I'd known about this sooner instead of stressing for weeks.
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Chloe Wilson
If you're still struggling to get through to someone about your W-2, I'd recommend Claimyr. I had a nightmare getting my W-2 from a seasonal job last year, and after trying for weeks to contact someone at the IRS for help, I found Claimyr. Their service at https://claimyr.com got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with explained exactly what to do about my missing W-2 and helped me understand my options. They even sent me the instructions for filing Form 4852 directly. Saved me literally weeks of back and forth!
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Diego Mendoza
•How does this actually work though? The IRS phone system is notorious for disconnecting people. Does Claimyr somehow bypass the normal phone tree or something?
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Anastasia Romanov
•Sounds like a scam tbh. Why would I pay someone to call the IRS for me when I can just keep trying myself? And how do they magically get through when millions of people can't?
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Chloe Wilson
•Claimyr uses an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they reach a real person, you get a call to connect with the agent. No magic - just technology handling the frustrating waiting part. The service exists because the IRS is overwhelmed with calls - most people never get through at all or wait 2+ hours. For something urgent like missing tax documents with a filing deadline approaching, the time saved is definitely worth it for many people.
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Anastasia Romanov
I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After trying to call the IRS myself for THREE DAYS and never getting through (either busy signals or disconnected after 1+ hour holds), I decided to try it out of desperation. Used the link from the comment above and was honestly shocked when I got a call connecting me to an actual IRS representative in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed what others have said here - I could file Form 4852 as a substitute for my missing W-2 from a short-term job. They also gave me info on how to report the employer for not providing my W-2 on time. Already filed my taxes using the substitute form and my refund is being processed. Definitely worth it for the time saved and stress avoided!
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StellarSurfer
Just want to add that if you didn't make much at that job, it might not impact your taxes too much anyway. For just two days of work at fast food, we're probably talking about $150-200 max? The tax difference would be minimal. Not saying you should skip reporting it (that would technically be incorrect), but just putting it in perspective that it's probably not going to massively change your tax situation either way.
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Sean Kelly
•But couldn't the IRS flag your return as incomplete if the employer already reported those wages? I always heard they match all W-2s to returns and send notices if something's missing.
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StellarSurfer
•Yes, the IRS does match reported income from employers against what you report on your return. If there's a discrepancy, you might receive a CP2000 notice proposing additional tax based on the unreported income. For very small amounts, the tax difference might be minor, but you'd still have to deal with responding to the notice and potentially paying interest on the unpaid amount. That's why it's generally best to report everything properly the first time using Form 4852 if you can't get the W-2, even for small amounts.
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Zara Malik
Has anyone tried calling the specific Burger King location instead of corporate? Sometimes the local manager or owner can help more directly with these things, especially for such a short period of work.
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Malik Robinson
•I actually tried that first! The manager said all W-2s are handled through their corporate system and she literally couldn't access them at the store level. She gave me the corporate number which led to the endless runaround I mentioned. Seems like their system isn't set up well for these edge cases like super short employment.
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Luca Greco
•This happened to me years ago with a retail job. The store manager actually had me talk to their payroll person directly and they emailed me a copy within an hour. Definitely worth trying the local route first before going through all the IRS processes!
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