Getting two W-2s from same employer with different $ amounts - how to file correctly?
So I'm dealing with this weird situation for my 2024 taxes. I have two W-2 forms from the exact same company but with different dollar amounts on each. I think our company switched payroll systems mid-year or something because one W-2 shows about $14,500 in wages and the other shows around $36,000. I'm trying to e-file my taxes and I'm not sure if the system will even let me enter two W-2s from the same employer. Do I just add them together? Enter them separately? I've never run into this before and don't want to mess anything up. The employer name and EIN are identical on both forms. Has anyone dealt with this before? Any advice would be super helpful!
25 comments


Omar Mahmoud
This is actually pretty common when companies switch payroll providers mid-year. You absolutely need to report both W-2s on your tax return - the IRS received copies of both, so they're expecting to see all that income reported. When e-filing, the tax software should allow you to enter multiple W-2s from the same employer. There's usually an option to "Add another W-2" after you've entered the first one. Just make sure you enter all the information exactly as it appears on each form (including the employer EIN which should be identical on both). Don't combine the amounts yourself - enter each W-2 completely separately in the software. The tax program will automatically total everything correctly when calculating your final tax liability. The software should handle this situation without any problems.
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Chloe Harris
•What if the employer EIN is different on the two W-2s? My company got acquired halfway through the year but I kept working in the same role. Now I have two W-2s with different company names and EINs but it's really the same job.
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Omar Mahmoud
•If the EINs are different, that's actually a simpler situation. Just enter them as two completely separate employers in your tax software, exactly as they appear on the W-2s. The IRS treats them as two different employers based on the EIN, even if it was essentially the same job for you. Different EINs means they were legally different entities for tax purposes, so you would enter them as separate employers. The software won't have any issues with this - it's designed to handle multiple W-2s from different employers.
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Diego Vargas
This happened to me last year! I was freaking out too but it was actually super easy to handle. I used https://taxr.ai to upload both my W-2s and it automatically detected that they were from the same employer but different pay periods. The system guided me through entering both W-2s separately and even flagged when I accidentally typed in one of the numbers wrong. Saved me so much stress since I was worried about getting audited for having "duplicate" employers. Their document analysis caught things I would have missed and the guidance was really clear about how to handle multiple W-2s from the same company.
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NeonNinja
•Did it cost anything to use? I have a similar situation but also have a 1099-NEC from a side gig that I need to include. Would it handle that too or is it just for W-2 situations?
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Anastasia Popov
•I'm a little suspicious of these tax helper sites. How do you know they're secure? Like, you're uploading your W-2s with all your personal info... how do you know they're not selling your data or something?
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Diego Vargas
•They have a free tier that worked perfectly for my situation with the W-2s. And yes, it definitely handles 1099-NECs too - it actually does a really thorough job with self-employment income and helps identify deductions you might miss. As for security concerns, they use bank-level encryption and explicitly state they don't sell your data. I was worried about that too initially, but they're actually more secure than emailing tax documents to an accountant, which I used to do. You can also delete your documents from their system after you're done if you're still concerned.
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NeonNinja
Just wanted to follow up and say I tried https://taxr.ai for my situation with multiple W-2s and a 1099. It was SO helpful! The system immediately recognized all my forms and guided me through everything step by step. I was really impressed with how it caught a discrepancy between my pay stubs and one of my W-2s that I totally would have missed. Saved me from potentially having issues with the IRS later. The guidance for handling the two W-2s from my main employer was crystal clear. Definitely making tax season less stressful!
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Sean Murphy
If you're still having issues with the IRS about your multiple W-2s or need clarification, I'd recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual IRS agent. I had a similar issue last year where my returns got flagged because of multiple W-2s that looked suspicious to their system. I tried calling the IRS directly and was on hold for HOURS with no luck. Then I found Claimyr and they got me connected to an actual IRS representative in about 20 minutes. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to confirm that my filing was correct and removed the hold on my refund. Saved me weeks of stress and waiting!
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Zara Khan
•How does this even work? The IRS phone lines are impossible to get through. Are they just using some kind of auto-dialer or something?
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Luca Ferrari
•This sounds like BS honestly. Nothing can get you through to the IRS faster - they're understaffed and overwhelmed. I've been trying to resolve an issue for months now. If this actually worked, everyone would be using it.
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Sean Murphy
•It basically works as a specialized call service that navigates the IRS phone tree and stays on hold for you. When they reach a live agent, you get a call to connect with them. No auto-dialer tricks - they're just handling the painful waiting part. They use a combination of optimal calling times and understanding which IRS departments have shorter wait times for specific issues. It's not magic, but it's efficient and saved me from having to personally sit on hold for hours. There are certain times when IRS wait times are shorter, and they know exactly when to call for different types of issues.
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Luca Ferrari
I need to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I was still desperate to resolve my issue with multiple W-2s that was holding up my refund, so I decided to try it anyway. I was genuinely shocked when I got a call back connecting me to an actual IRS agent in about 30 minutes. The agent confirmed that having multiple W-2s from the same employer with different amounts is totally normal when companies switch payroll systems mid-year. She verified that both my W-2s were legitimate and released my refund on the spot. Saved me from taking a day off work to sit on hold. Still can't believe it worked so well after months of failed attempts on my own.
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Nia Davis
Make sure you also check that the amounts make sense when combined! I had a similar situation last year and after adding both W-2s together, I realized the total didn't match what I actually earned based on my final paystub of the year. Turned out there was an error on one of the W-2s. The company's HR department had to issue a corrected W-2. If I hadn't checked, I would've paid taxes on income I never actually received!
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Freya Nielsen
•How do you get a company to issue a corrected W-2? My total from both W-2s is about $1,200 higher than what my final paystub shows for the year. Should I just file with what's on the W-2s anyway since that's what the IRS has?
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Nia Davis
•You need to contact your payroll department or HR immediately and explain the discrepancy. Show them your final paystub and the totals from both W-2s. They should issue what's called a "W-2c" (corrected W-2) if there's truly an error. Never just file with incorrect information even if it's what the IRS has. The company is required to send corrected information to the IRS as well. If you file with the wrong numbers, you could end up paying too much tax or potentially trigger an audit down the road if the company eventually corrects their mistake.
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Mateo Martinez
Has anyone used TurboTax for this situation? I'm in the same boat with 2 W-2s from same employer but different amounts. Wondering if their software handles it ok before I pay for it.
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QuantumQueen
•Yeah I used TurboTax last year with this exact situation. It works fine - there's a button that says "Add another W-2" after you enter the first one. Just make sure you enter both EXACTLY as they appear on the forms. The only weird thing was that it asked me if I was sure when I entered the same employer twice, but I just clicked "Yes" and it let me continue. Both W-2s showed up correctly on my final return.
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Connor Gallagher
I just went through this exact same situation! Had two W-2s from my employer after they switched payroll companies mid-year. The key thing is to definitely enter both W-2s separately in your tax software - don't try to combine them yourself. Most tax software (including the free versions) will handle this just fine. When you're entering your W-2 information, look for an "Add another W-2" button after you complete the first one. The software might ask if you're sure about having the same employer twice, but that's totally normal. Also, like others mentioned, double-check that the combined totals match your final paystub for the year. I caught a small error this way and had to get a corrected W-2c from HR, but it was worth it to make sure everything was accurate. The IRS gets copies of both your W-2s, so they're expecting to see both reported on your return.
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Ben Cooper
This is a really common situation and nothing to worry about! When companies switch payroll systems mid-year, they often issue separate W-2s for each system rather than combining them. You're absolutely right to enter both W-2s separately - never combine the amounts yourself. Most tax software will handle this smoothly. After entering your first W-2, look for an "Add another W-2" or similar button. The software might give you a warning about duplicate employers, but just confirm that yes, you do have multiple W-2s from the same company. One thing I'd recommend is double-checking that the total wages from both W-2s match your final paystub of 2024. Sometimes there can be small errors when companies transition systems. If the numbers don't match up, contact your HR department - they may need to issue a corrected W-2c. The IRS received copies of both your W-2s, so they're expecting to see both reported on your return. Entering them separately is exactly what you should do!
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Saleem Vaziri
•Thanks for the detailed explanation! Just to clarify - when you say "double-check that the total wages from both W-2s match your final paystub," are you referring to the gross wages in Box 1, or should I be looking at a different box? My two W-2s have the same employer name and EIN, but I want to make sure I'm comparing the right numbers when I check against my paystub.
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Isaiah Cross
•You should primarily look at Box 1 (wages, tips, other compensation) when comparing to your final paystub's year-to-date gross wages. That's your taxable income that the IRS cares about most. However, it's also worth checking Box 3 (Social Security wages) and Box 5 (Medicare wages) to make sure they're reasonable too. These might be slightly different from Box 1 if you have pre-tax deductions like health insurance or 401k contributions, but they should still add up logically when you look at your paystub. If there's a significant discrepancy in any of these boxes between your W-2 totals and final paystub, definitely reach out to HR before filing. Better to catch it now than deal with IRS correspondence later!
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Omar Hassan
I went through this exact same situation two years ago when my company switched from ADP to Workday mid-year. It was definitely confusing at first, but it's actually a pretty straightforward process once you know what to do. The most important thing is to enter each W-2 exactly as it appears on the form - don't try to combine them or "fix" anything yourself. When I used H&R Block's software, it walked me through adding the second W-2 and even had a specific prompt asking if this was due to a payroll system change, which made me feel more confident I was doing it right. One tip that really helped me: before filing, I added up all the federal tax withheld from both W-2s (Box 2) and compared it to what my final paystub showed for the year. This helped me catch that one of my W-2s was missing about $200 in withholding that should have been included. HR fixed it with a corrected W-2c within a week. The whole process was much less scary than I thought it would be. Just take your time entering the data and double-check everything against your paystubs!
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Cedric Chung
•This is really helpful advice! I'm curious about the H&R Block software you mentioned - did it cost extra to use their system for multiple W-2s, or was that included in their standard package? I'm trying to decide between different tax software options and want to make sure I pick one that handles this situation smoothly without any surprise fees. Also, when you mentioned comparing the federal tax withheld to your paystub, were you looking at the year-end totals or did you have to add up all your paystubs throughout the year? My company's paystub format changed when they switched systems, so I'm not sure if my final paystub will show accurate year-to-date totals.
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Sophie Duck
This is actually a very common situation and nothing to stress about! When companies switch payroll systems mid-year, they typically issue separate W-2s for each system rather than trying to combine them into one form. You're absolutely correct to enter both W-2s separately in your tax software - never try to manually combine the amounts yourself. The IRS receives copies of both forms, so they're expecting to see both reported on your return. Most major tax software platforms handle this seamlessly. Look for an "Add another W-2" button after entering your first form. The software might warn you about having the same employer twice, but just confirm that yes, you do have multiple W-2s from the same company. Before filing, I'd strongly recommend adding up the total wages from both W-2s (Box 1) and comparing that to your final paystub of 2024 to make sure the numbers align. Sometimes errors occur during payroll system transitions, and it's much easier to get a corrected W-2c now than to deal with IRS issues later. The bottom line: enter each W-2 exactly as it appears, and let the tax software do the math for you!
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