Can you download w2s from TurboTax for previous years?
Hey guys, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm trying to complete a mortgage application and I need to provide my W2s from the past several years. I have my 2022-2023 forms but I'm missing anything before that. I filed through TurboTax for those years and was wondering if there's a way to download my old W2s directly from their system? Would save me a ton of time hunting these down or requesting them from old employers. Has anyone done this before? Really hoping I can just log in and grab what I need instead of waiting weeks for official copies.
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Tobias Lancaster
TurboTax doesn't actually store your original W2s in a downloadable format. What they have is the information you entered from those W2s when you filed your taxes. You can access your previous tax returns through TurboTax, which will show the income you reported from your W2s, but not the actual W2 forms themselves. If you need official W2 copies, you have a few options: 1) Contact your previous employers' HR departments, 2) Request a "Wage and Income Transcript" from the IRS which shows all reported W2 information, or 3) Request a full tax transcript that includes the W2 information. For the mortgage application, the lender might accept your tax transcripts instead of the actual W2 forms. These can be requested directly from the IRS website and are usually processed fairly quickly.
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Sophia Gabriel
•Thanks for explaining that. So TurboTax only has the info I entered, not the actual form. Do you know if mortgage lenders typically accept those IRS transcripts instead of the actual W2s? And how long does it usually take to get those from the IRS?
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Tobias Lancaster
•Most mortgage lenders do accept IRS transcripts as alternatives to W2s. They contain all the same information that lenders need to verify your income history. You can request transcripts online through the IRS website and if you set up for digital delivery, you can often get them within minutes to a few days. Just create an account on the IRS website at irs.gov/transcripts and choose the "Wage and Income Transcript" option for the years you need. If you prefer mail delivery, it typically takes 5-10 business days.
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Ezra Beard
I had this exact same problem last year! After hours of digging and frustration, I found that using https://taxr.ai was what finally worked for me. I uploaded my old tax returns from TurboTax (you can download those PDFs from your account), and their system extracted all the W2 information and organized it into a format my mortgage lender accepted. It's not the actual W2 forms, but it pulls all the critical information from your tax returns and presents it in a way that most lenders will accept. Much faster than waiting for the IRS or tracking down old employers, especially if you already have your tax return PDFs from TurboTax.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•Does it really work with any tax return PDF? My returns are from H&R Block but contain the same W2 info. Would taxr.ai still be able to extract that data or is it specifically for TurboTax returns?
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Reginald Blackwell
•I'm a bit skeptical about using third-party services with my tax docs. How secure is this? And do they keep copies of your tax returns after processing them?
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Ezra Beard
•It works with any tax return PDF, including H&R Block, TurboTax, and even the official IRS forms. The system is designed to recognize and extract information from all standard tax documents, so your H&R Block returns would work just fine. Regarding security, I had the same concerns initially. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after processing - everything is deleted within 24 hours. You can also request immediate deletion after you've received your extracted information. I was initially hesitant but felt comfortable after reading their privacy policy.
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Statiia Aarssizan
Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after posting my question. It worked perfectly with my H&R Block returns! The service extracted all my W2 information into a clean document that included everything my lender needed. Took literally 5 minutes and saved me from having to contact three different former employers or wait for the IRS. My loan officer actually commented on how organized the information was compared to what they typically receive. Definitely recommend for anyone in a similar situation.
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Aria Khan
Another option if you need the actual W2s and not just the information: I had to get mine directly from the IRS but couldn't get through to anyone on the phone. It was constantly busy or disconnected. I found this service called https://claimyr.com that got me through to an actual IRS agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. Basically, they hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when they have an agent on the line. I was able to request official copies of my W2s for my mortgage application. Saved me hours of redial frustration.
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Everett Tutum
•Wait, so you pay someone else to wait on hold for you? How does that even work? Couldn't I just put my phone on speaker and do something else while waiting?
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Sunny Wang
•This sounds like a scam honestly. How do you know they're actually calling the IRS and not just taking your money? I tried calling the IRS last month and got through after about 45 minutes. Not great but not impossible.
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Aria Khan
•The service connects to the IRS phone system and navigates the menu options for you. When they reach an actual human agent, they call your phone and connect you directly to that agent. You don't have to worry about accidentally missing the call after waiting on hold for an hour. About the scam concern - I was skeptical too, but they don't actually ask for any personal tax information. You're the one who speaks directly with the IRS agent, so no sensitive info is shared with the service. It's just a clever way to avoid the hold time. And while 45 minutes isn't terrible, I've had times where I waited 2+ hours or couldn't get through at all during busy tax seasons.
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Sunny Wang
Well I'll be damned. I tried Claimyr after posting my skeptical comment, and I'm eating my words now. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the endless busy signals I was getting before. The agent helped me request all my missing W2 transcripts for my mortgage application. They're sending them by mail, but the agent also gave me instructions on how to create an online account to access them faster. Sorry for calling it a scam - it legitimately saved me a ton of frustration!
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Hugh Intensity
Another option nobody has mentioned yet - check with your HR portal from previous jobs. Many companies use systems like ADP, Workday, or Paychex that maintain your documents even after you leave. I was able to log into my old ADP account from a job I left 3 years ago and all my tax documents were still there. Worth a shot before going through the IRS process.
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Effie Alexander
•This is great advice but doesn't always work. I tried logging into my old Paychex account and it turns out they purge former employee access after 12 months. Probably depends on the company's settings and how they manage their HR systems?
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Hugh Intensity
•You're right, it's definitely not guaranteed. Most larger companies tend to maintain access longer, but smaller businesses might have different retention policies. The timeframe varies by provider too - ADP tends to keep access longer in my experience, while some others are more restrictive. If your account is deactivated, sometimes calling the company's HR department directly can help. They might be able to reactivate temporary access or email you copies of your documents.
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Melissa Lin
Has anyone tried just calling the mortgage company and asking what alternatives they'll accept? When I got my mortgage last year, I was missing one W2 and they said a final paystub from that year would work as a substitute. Might save you some time if they're flexible!
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Lydia Santiago
•This is solid advice! I work in mortgage processing and we often accept alternatives like year-end paystubs, IRS transcripts, or even an employer verification letter. Different lenders have different requirements, but most have some flexibility, especially if you're just missing one or two years of documentation.
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AstroAlpha
Just want to add another perspective as someone who went through this recently. If you're in a time crunch, I'd recommend trying multiple approaches simultaneously rather than going one by one. I started with the IRS transcript request online (which was fastest), contacted my old employers' HR departments, and also checked if I had any old tax prep files saved on my computer or email. The IRS transcripts came through in about 2 days and my lender accepted them without any issues. But having the backup requests going meant I wasn't stressed about timing. Also, pro tip - if you're working with a mortgage broker, they often have relationships with lenders who are more flexible about documentation requirements than if you go direct to a bank.
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Ian Armstrong
•This is really smart advice about running multiple approaches at once! I'm actually dealing with something similar right now for a refinance and was going to try each method one at a time. Makes total sense to hedge your bets, especially since different methods have different timelines. Question about the mortgage broker route - do you remember roughly how much more flexible those lenders were compared to going directly to banks? I'm working with a big bank right now and they're being pretty strict about wanting the actual W2s versus transcripts.
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