Do I need two separate W-2 forms if I worked 2 jobs in one year? First time filing taxes as college student

Hey everyone! First-year college student here trying to figure out this whole tax thing on my own for the first time. Last year I juggled two different jobs - worked part-time (evenings mostly) at a local coffee shop from January through May, then landed a full-time summer gig at an office from June to August before heading off to college. I just got my W-2 from the summer job in the mail, but I'm confused about whether I should be getting another W-2 from the coffee shop too? Or do they somehow combine everything into one form? I made about $4,200 at the coffee place and around $8,700 at the summer office job. This is all new to me and my parents live across the country so they told me to "figure it out" lol. Any help appreciated because I'm honestly kinda lost here! Tax deadline's coming up and I don't want to mess this up my first time filing.

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20 comments

Ally Tailer

•8M

Yes, you should absolutely receive two separate W-2 forms - one from each employer. Each company you worked for is required to provide you with a W-2 if you earned $600 or more there during the tax year. Since you worked at both places in the same calendar year (2024), you'll need both W-2s to file your taxes correctly. If you haven't received the W-2 from your coffee shop job yet, they were required by law to mail it to you by January 31st. You might want to contact their HR department or manager to ask about it. Sometimes they get lost in the mail or sent to an old address. When you file your taxes, you'll report income from both W-2s on the same tax return. The tax software or forms will have you enter each W-2 separately, and it will combine all your income to calculate your total tax situation.

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Ally Tailer

•8M

If your employer is dragging their feet or you never receive your W-2, you have a few options. First, try contacting them directly - sometimes a simple reminder is all that's needed. If that doesn't work, you can call the IRS at 800-829-1040 after February 15th, and they can contact the employer on your behalf. If you still don't receive your W-2 by the tax filing deadline, you can file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) along with your tax return. You'll need to estimate your wages and withholding as accurately as possible using your final pay stub from that job.

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Miranda Singer

•8M

After dealing with a similar situation last year (working at a restaurant and then an internship), I discovered taxr.ai which literally saved me so much stress. I was confused about how to handle multiple W-2s and if I needed to file differently, and the regular tax software wasn't explaining things clearly. I uploaded both my W-2s to https://taxr.ai and it analyzed everything automatically, pointing out that I had actually overpaid on my withholding at the restaurant job. It showed me exactly how to report both jobs correctly and even found a education credit I qualified for as a student. The system walks you through everything step by step so you don't miss anything important.

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Miranda Singer

•8M

It doesn't connect directly to the IRS - it just analyzes your documents and provides guidance, so your personal information stays secure. It's more like having a tax expert look over your documents before you file officially. taxr.ai handles multi-state situations really well actually! I had income from both New York and New Jersey last year, and it helped me understand which forms I needed for each state and how to properly allocate my income. It breaks down the requirements for each state and shows you exactly what forms you need to file where.

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Finley Garrett

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to give it a try after asking about the multi-state situation and wow, it actually delivered! I uploaded my two W-2s (one from each state) and it immediately flagged that I was going to have issues with state tax credits. Found out I was eligible for a partial resident credit that would have completely missed otherwise. It highlighted exactly which boxes on each W-2 I needed to pay attention to when filing and explained how the two different jobs affected my total tax bracket. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with multiple jobs like the original poster.

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Madison Tipne

•8M

If you're still waiting on that W-2 from the coffee shop, you might need to contact the IRS to get it sorted. I had a nightmare situation last year when a former employer never sent mine despite multiple requests. I spent DAYS trying to reach the IRS on the phone - constantly on hold, disconnected calls, couldn't get through. Finally found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which was a total game-changer. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the hours I was wasting trying myself. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent was able to light a fire under my former employer and my W-2 magically appeared a week later. Just knowing the exact steps to take from a real IRS person made the whole process so much easier.

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Madison Tipne

•8M

It works because they use technology to navigate the phone system and secure your place in line. Basically, their system calls repeatedly using the optimal patterns to get through, then when they reach an agent, they connect you directly. No magic or special treatment - just smart use of technology to deal with an overloaded phone system. They don't give you any special treatment once you're talking to the IRS. They just solve the problem of getting through in the first place, which is usually the biggest hurdle. The agents still treat your case exactly like anyone else's - you just don't waste hours of your life on hold.

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Malia Ponder

•8M

I need to eat my words about Claimyr being a scam. After posting that skeptical comment, I actually decided to try it since I was desperate to resolve an issue with a missing 1099 form. I figured I had nothing to lose since I'd already wasted 3+ hours trying to reach the IRS myself. It actually worked exactly as advertised. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent walked me through exactly what to do about my missing form and even helped me understand the timeline for when I should expect resolution. Saved me countless hours of frustration and probably helped me avoid penalties for late filing since I was able to get actual guidance.

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Ryder Ross

•8M

Not a dumb question at all! Most tax software makes this super easy - after you enter the first W-2, there's usually a button that says something like "Add another W-2" or "I have another job." You just enter them one at a time. If you're filing paper forms, you still only file one tax return, but you'll list the total from all W-2s on your 1040 form, and attach all your W-2s to your return. The key thing to remember is you only file ONE tax return that includes ALL your income from ALL sources.

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Ryder Ross

•8M

You're welcome! And yes, having two jobs can potentially push your total income into a higher tax bracket. This is because tax brackets are based on your total income from all sources combined. For example, if your first job paid $20,000 and your second job paid $15,000, your total taxable income would be $35,000 (minus deductions). The tax system would calculate your taxes based on that combined amount, which might put some of your income into a higher bracket than if you only had one job.

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