Can I file my taxes with just my pay stub instead of a W2?

You technically need your W2 to file your taxes correctly. While your pay stub will show similar information, the W2 includes important details that must be reported accurately, like federal and state taxes withheld and various benefit deductions. Since you're in this situation, you have a few options. First, you can request that Walgreens expedite your W2. They're legally required to provide it. Second, you could file an extension, giving you until October to file your return while you wait for the correct document. Third, you can contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040 if you don't receive your W2 by mid-February. They'll send a form to your employer and issue you a substitute Form 4852 that you can use instead. For such a small amount of income, it might be tempting to skip reporting it, but that's not advisable. All income needs to be reported, regardless of the amount.

I went through something similar last year when my former employer screwed up my W2. I was pulling my hair out until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much stress. They have this feature where you can upload your pay stub and it extracts all the relevant tax information and helps you figure out what you need for your return. It basically walks you through how to handle missing documents and even helped me determine if I should wait for the W2 or use the substitute form. The tool flagged exactly what information I was missing from the pay stub compared to what would be on my W2, which helped me make an informed decision. In your case with such a small amount, it might give you a clearer picture of your options.

Just wanted to follow up - I actually tried taxr.ai after my last comment and it was surprisingly helpful. It confirmed that my pay stub didn't have all the information needed for filing (missing some tax withholding details that only appear on W2s) and gave me specific instructions for requesting the substitute form. The document comparison feature saved me from making a mistake with my filing. Much more straightforward than I expected and didn't cost me anything for my basic situation.

After dealing with a similar W2 mess last year, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical at first but I was able to talk to a real person at the IRS who walked me through the substitute W2 process. They explained exactly what I needed to do with my pay stub information and how to properly report it while waiting for the official document. Saved me weeks of waiting for my previous employer to get their act together. Might be worth checking out if you decide to go the IRS route.

Alright I'm eating my words here. I was super skeptical but I tried Claimyr yesterday after seeing this thread. Got a call back in about 20 minutes and talked to an actual IRS agent who explained the whole substitute W2 process. They told me exactly what information from my pay stub I could use and what additional steps I needed to take. Apparently this happens all the time with employers sending W2s to wrong addresses. Definitely beats waiting on hold for hours or waiting weeks for HR to send a new W2.

I think you could also check if you can access your W2 online. A lot of companies use services like ADP or Workday where employees can log in and download their tax documents even after they've left the company. Worth asking Walgreens HR if they have an online portal where you could get your W2 immediately instead of waiting for a paper copy.

You'd be surprised how many people have this exact issue! I worked as a tax preparer and we always had clients with missing W2s from short-term jobs. If it helps, here's what you need from that pay stub: your gross wages, federal income tax withheld, social security tax withheld, and medicare tax withheld. Make sure you have ALL those numbers before trying to file. A pay stub usually has most of this but sometimes misses details that are only on the W2.