Former employer refusing to provide my W2 - what can I do now?

You definitely have options here! Your former employer is required by law to provide your W2 by January 31st. Since they've failed to do this, you can take these steps: First, try one more formal approach - send them a certified letter requesting your W2. This creates a paper trail showing you've made reasonable efforts to obtain it. If they still don't respond, you can contact the IRS directly. Call them at 800-829-1040 with your personal info, employment dates, and employer details ready. The IRS will then contact your employer on your behalf. You can also file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) with your tax return. You'll need to estimate your wages and withholding as accurately as possible - your final paystub of the year is extremely helpful for this if you have it. The gym's behavior is definitely inappropriate and unfortunately not uncommon. The good news is the IRS has procedures in place specifically for this situation.

After dealing with a similar nightmare last year (previous employer "lost" my W2 three times!), I finally discovered taxr.ai which turned out to be a lifesaver. When you're missing tax documents and need to file, it's incredibly frustrating. I uploaded my last paystub to https://taxr.ai and their system analyzed it to calculate all the tax withholding and income information I needed for my substitute W2 form. It even helped me fill out Form 4852 correctly with proper formatting that the IRS accepted without questions. My tax preparer was impressed with how accurate it was! Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck like I was. They have document analysis specifically for creating substitute W2s from paystubs, which sounds exactly like what you need right now.

Just wanted to update here - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation and it actually worked perfectly! I was skeptical at first (especially with my weird paystubs), but I found my December stub which had YTD totals and the system extracted everything correctly. It even caught some deductions I would have missed. The Form 4852 instructions were super clear and I've already filed my taxes using the information. Got confirmation that my return was accepted by the IRS yesterday! Meanwhile my old gym STILL hasn't sent my W2, so I'm really glad I didn't wait around for them. Thanks for the suggestion!

If you're still needing to contact the IRS about this (which you should to report the employer), I'd recommend using Claimyr instead of trying to call yourself. I spent THREE HOURS on hold with the IRS last week trying to report my missing W2 situation and eventually gave up. With https://claimyr.com they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the hours I wasted before. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The service calls the IRS for you and then calls you once they've navigated all the hold times and phone trees. The IRS agent I spoke with was super helpful and started the process of contacting my employer immediately. They also confirmed that filing with Form 4852 was the right approach in the meantime.

I have to come back and eat my words. After being completely skeptical about Claimyr, I decided to try it out of desperation when I still couldn't get through to the IRS after another week of trying. It actually worked exactly as advertised! I got a call back in about 25 minutes and was connected directly to an IRS representative. Completely skipped the hold time I'd been battling with. The agent confirmed my employer can be penalized for not providing my W2 and started the process to contact them. For anyone dealing with missing W2s like the original poster - definitely report it to the IRS. The agent told me they take these cases seriously since it's a legal requirement for employers.

Have you checked the mail carefully? My company uses a third-party payroll service and my W2 came in a really generic envelope that looked like junk mail. Nearly threw it out! Also, some companies are going electronic for W2s now - check if you had opted for electronic delivery when you worked there.

Just wanted to mention another option - you might be able to get your W2 information online directly from the IRS. They have a "Get Transcript" service on irs.gov where you can see tax documents that have been filed under your SSN. If your employer actually filed your W2 with the IRS but just didn't send you a copy, your wage information might be there. It doesn't always have current year info this early, but worth checking! Saved me in a similar situation last year.

This is such a frustrating situation, but you definitely have rights here! Your employer is legally required to provide your W-2 by January 31st, so they're already in violation. Here's what I'd recommend doing in order: 1. **Send a certified letter** - Mail a formal written request for your W-2 to your former employer. Keep the receipt as proof you made the request. 2. **Contact the IRS** - Call 1-800-829-1040 and report that your employer hasn't provided your W-2. The IRS will contact them directly, and employers can face penalties starting at $50 per missing W-2. 3. **File Form 4852** - This is a substitute W-2 that lets you file your taxes using your best estimate of wages and withholdings. Your final paystub from 2024 should have year-to-date totals that will help you complete this accurately. 4. **File your taxes** - Don't let their negligence delay your refund! You can file with Form 4852 and if/when you eventually get the actual W-2, you can file an amended return if needed. The manager's behavior when you went in person is completely unprofessional. Document everything - dates you called, your visit, etc. This creates a paper trail showing you made reasonable efforts to obtain your W-2 before taking other steps.