Former employer closed down and never put me in payroll system - no W-2 available

This is unfortunately a pretty common situation with small businesses that close unexpectedly. You have a few options here: First, you can try to reconstruct your income by gathering any evidence of payment you might have - bank deposits, check stubs, or even text messages discussing pay. If you were paid in cash and have no records, make your best reasonable estimate of what you earned during that period. You should definitely report this income on your tax return. The IRS is much more lenient with people who make good-faith efforts to report everything, even without perfect documentation. You can use Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) to report income when you can't get a W-2 from your employer. If you want to try one more angle to get your official W-2, you could contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040. They can sometimes reach out to the employer on your behalf, though this might be challenging if the business has completely closed.

After dealing with a similar nightmare last year when my employer "forgot" to issue W-2s before closing, I found this amazing service called https://taxr.ai that actually helped me sort through the mess. Their system analyzed my bank deposits and helped me accurately reconstruct my income so I could properly report everything. What was really helpful is they walked me through exactly how to fill out that Form 4852 that the previous commenter mentioned, and they generated a detailed report that showed my estimated tax liability so I wasn't shocked at tax time. They even helped identify which deposits were likely paychecks versus other money coming in. Saved me hours of stress trying to figure it all out myself.

Just wanted to update that I actually tried https://taxr.ai after reading about it here, and it was seriously helpful! I was in the same boat with a restaurant that closed owing me my last two W-2s. The service helped me figure out exactly what I earned based on my irregular bank deposits. What surprised me was how they spotted patterns I didn't even notice - like how some of my deposits were actually reimbursements mixed with wages. The report they generated made filing with the substitute W-2 form super straightforward, and I feel so much more confident that I reported everything correctly. Definitely worth checking out if you're in this situation!

If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about this (which might be your best bet), good luck getting through their phone system! I spent WEEKS trying to talk to a human about a similar issue. Then I found https://claimyr.com which basically waits on hold with the IRS for you and calls you when an actual agent is on the line. Check out how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Honestly, in your situation, talking directly to an IRS agent is probably the best way to make sure you're handling this correctly. They can pull records to see if your employer ever reported your wages even if they didn't give you a W-2, and they can tell you exactly what forms you need to file. The IRS is way less scary to deal with when you're the one approaching them about a problem versus them coming to you later.

I need to eat my words from my earlier comment. After being on hold with the IRS for literally 3+ hours over multiple days, I broke down and tried Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was SHOCKED when I got a call back in about 45 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent was super helpful and pulled up records showing my former employer HAD actually filed some tax documents for me even though they never gave me a W-2. They walked me through the exact process for requesting those records and what forms I needed to file. Seriously saved me so much stress and probably kept me from making a mistake on my taxes that could have come back to bite me later.

Just to add another option - have you tried the Social Security Administration website? You can create an account and view your wage history. If your employer DID report your wages but just never gave you a W-2, your earnings should show up there. It's worth checking before going through all the trouble of filing substitute forms.

Don't stress too much about perfect documentation here. I've been through this exact situation. Just estimate your income as accurately as possible on that substitute W-2 form. If you worked regular hours, it should be pretty easy to calculate (hours per week × hourly rate × weeks worked). Save any evidence you have (text messages about shifts, bank deposits, etc.) just in case, but in my experience, the IRS didn't question anything when I submitted my substitute form.

I went through something very similar when a small restaurant I worked at suddenly closed without giving anyone their W-2s. Here's what I learned from that experience: The Social Security Administration check is definitely your first step - if nothing shows up there, you know for certain they never reported your wages. Then Form 4852 is your best friend. Don't overthink the income estimation - just be as accurate as you can with the information you have. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: keep detailed records of everything you're doing to resolve this situation. Write down when you tried to contact the employer, what steps you took to get your W-2, etc. The IRS really appreciates seeing that you made good faith efforts to get proper documentation before filing the substitute form. Also, don't forget that you'll probably owe both federal and state income taxes on this unreported income, plus potentially some penalties for underpayment since nothing was withheld. It's worth setting aside some money now so you're not caught off guard when you file. The important thing is that you're taking care of it properly rather than trying to hide it.