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

Yes, you should definitely receive two separate W-2 forms - one from each employer. Each company you worked for during the tax year is required to issue their own W-2 form showing the wages they paid you and taxes they withheld. This is true regardless of whether it was part-time, full-time, or seasonal work. For the coffee shop, even small businesses are legally required to provide W-2s to all employees by January 31st. If you haven't received it yet, I'd recommend contacting them right away. Sometimes small businesses might have an outdated mailing address for you, especially since you've moved to campus. When you file your taxes, you'll need to report information from both W-2s on your tax return. Most tax software makes this really easy - there's usually an option to "Add another W-2" after you enter the first one. The software will combine all your income when calculating your total tax situation.

After struggling with a similar situation last year (had 3 different jobs!), I found this amazing tool that made dealing with multiple W-2s super easy. It's called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and honestly saved me so much stress. I was confused about how to handle multiple income sources and whether I needed to file separate forms for each job. The site walks you through everything step by step and even lets you upload pictures of your W-2s so you don't have to manually type in all those little boxes and numbers. It automatically organizes everything from multiple employers and makes sure nothing gets missed. For someone filing for the first time with multiple jobs like you are, it's seriously helpful.

Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was exactly what I needed! I had a similar situation with 2 W-2s (one from my campus bookstore job and another from a summer position) and was totally confused about how to handle everything. The photo feature really did work perfectly - I just took pictures of both W-2s with my phone and it pulled all the information automatically. It flagged a couple numbers that looked unclear in the image and had me verify them, which was reassuring. The step-by-step guidance was super helpful for a first-time filer. Definitely made the whole process way less intimidating!

If you're having trouble getting your W-2 from that coffee shop, I had a similar issue last year with a small restaurant I worked at. After weeks of calling and getting nowhere, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual human at the IRS without waiting on hold forever. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS can put pressure on employers who don't send W-2s, but normally you'd wait on hold for hours. With Claimyr, I got through in minutes, explained my situation, and the IRS reached out to my former employer. Got my W-2 within a week after that. If your coffee shop doesn't respond to your requests, this might save you a lot of frustration.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr! After struggling to get through to the IRS for almost two weeks trying to deal with my missing W-2 situation (former employer went out of business), I finally tried the service. Got a call back in about 45 minutes and was connected directly to an IRS representative who actually helped me. They sent me the substitute form and gave me clear instructions on how to estimate my income and withholding from my last pay stub. Whole thing took maybe 15 minutes once I was connected. Definitely worth it considering I had already wasted hours on hold across multiple days with no success. Would have been nice if the regular IRS phone system worked better, but this was a good solution to a frustrating problem.

One thing that nobody mentioned yet - check your final pay stubs from both jobs! They won't replace your W-2s, but they can help you verify that the information on your W-2s is correct, or give you estimates if you're missing a form. Your last pay stub of the year often has year-to-date totals for: - Total wages earned - Federal tax withheld - State tax withheld - Social Security and Medicare taxes I've caught mistakes on W-2s before by comparing to my pay stubs. It happens more often than you'd think, especially with smaller employers!

I made a huge mistake my first time filing with multiple W-2s. I only reported one of them thinking I could just do the other one later or something? Anyway, I got a scary letter from the IRS months later saying I underreported my income and owed more taxes plus interest. Don't be like me!! Make absolutely certain you include BOTH W-2s when you file. The IRS already knows about all your jobs because your employers report that info directly to them. If what you report doesn't match what they already know, it triggers automatic flags in their system.