Help with FREETAXUSA and Form 4852 when employer never sent W-2
Title: Help with FREETAXUSA and Form 4852 when employer never sent W-2 1 I'm helping my cousin file her taxes this year and we've run into a frustrating situation. Her employer from last summer never sent her a W-2 form. She tried contacting them multiple times but they've either closed down or are ignoring her (she can't even get through on their phone number anymore). She even reached out to the IRS about this, but still nothing. Now I'm trying to help her file using FREETAXUSA, but I'm confused about where to input this income when there's no W-2. Right now, I'm putting it under the "non-W2 income" section, but I don't know if that's right. She doesn't have the employer's EIN and they never provided a single paystub (super sketchy, I know). I've heard Form 4852 is what you use when you don't have a W-2, but I can't find where to access this form in FREETAXUSA. Has anyone dealt with this before? Any help would be really appreciated!
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Mohamed Anderson
12 This is unfortunately a common issue. Form 4852 is indeed what you need - it's a substitute for W-2 when an employer doesn't provide one. In FREETAXUSA, you actually need to look under the Income menu and select "W-2 Income" (even though you don't have the actual W-2). When you're entering the W-2 information, look for a link or option that says something like "Don't have a W-2?" or "Missing W-2" - this will access Form 4852. You'll need to provide as much information as you can estimate - like total wages paid and taxes withheld based on final paystubs or bank deposits. If you truly have no documentation at all, you'll need to make your best reasonable estimate of what was earned and withheld. The IRS may follow up if their records from employer deposits show significant differences.
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Mohamed Anderson
•5 What if they put a different amount than what actually got paid? My roommate had this happen and the employer reported more income than she actually received. Would this still work in that case?
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Mohamed Anderson
•12 If there's a discrepancy between what was actually paid and what the employer reported, that's a different issue. Your friend should still file Form 4852 with the correct amount they actually received. They should also gather any evidence they have of the actual payments - bank deposits, pay records, anything that shows the true amount. The IRS may contact them about the discrepancy, at which point they'll need to explain the situation and provide their documentation.
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Mohamed Anderson
8 I went through this exact situation last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much stress. My employer shut down mid-year and I couldn't get my W-2 either. I took screenshots of my bank deposits and uploaded them to taxr.ai, and they helped generate all the necessary information for filing with my missing W-2 situation. The system analyzed my bank deposits and helped me reconstruct what my earnings and withholdings probably were. This made filling out the Form 4852 in FREETAXUSA so much easier because I had actual numbers to work with instead of guessing. They also gave me a detailed report I could keep for my records in case the IRS had questions later.
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Mohamed Anderson
•6 How accurate was it? I've had problems with payroll deductions in the past and I'm worried that just looking at bank deposits wouldn't capture all the tax withholdings correctly.
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Mohamed Anderson
•17 Does it work with independent contractor income too? I have a client who paid me but never sent a 1099-NEC and now they won't respond to emails.
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Mohamed Anderson
•8 It was surprisingly accurate for me. I actually found an old paystub later and the numbers they calculated were really close. It makes educated estimates for typical withholding percentages based on your state and filing status, and you can adjust if you know different information. For independent contractor income, it works great because you typically receive the full payment without withholding. The system can analyze your deposits and help you document the income received, which is what you need for reporting 1099 income that was never formally reported. It even gives you documentation to keep for your records showing how you determined the amounts.
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Mohamed Anderson
17 Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. It was exactly what I needed for my missing 1099 situation! I uploaded my bank statements and it identified all the deposits from that client. The report it generated showed exactly how much I received throughout the year, which made filing so much easier. I was able to accurately report my income even without the official form from my client. Definitely recommend it if you're in a similar situation!
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Mohamed Anderson
9 If you've already contacted the IRS about the missing W-2 and gotten nowhere, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a similar nightmare situation last year where I needed to speak directly with someone at the IRS about a missing W-2, but couldn't get through on their phone lines after trying for WEEKS. Claimyr essentially waits on hold with the IRS for you and calls you back when they get a live person. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. When I finally got to speak with someone at the IRS, they were able to access the wage and tax information that had been reported by my employer and give me the exact figures I needed for Form 4852. This saved me from having to estimate and potentially file an amended return later.
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Mohamed Anderson
•3 Wait, I'm confused. How does this actually work? Does someone else talk to the IRS for you? Because I don't want anyone else handling my tax info.
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Mohamed Anderson
•19 This sounds like a scam. There's no way some random service can get you through to the IRS faster. I've heard the IRS doesn't even answer most of their calls.
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Mohamed Anderson
•9 No, they don't talk to the IRS for you - they just handle the waiting on hold part. Their system waits in the IRS phone queue (which can be hours), and when an actual IRS agent picks up, Claimyr calls you so you can talk directly to the agent yourself. They never access your personal information or speak on your behalf. The reason it works is because they use technology to handle the hold time, not because they have special access. The IRS does answer calls, it's just that their hold times are ridiculous - often 2-3 hours during tax season. This service just handles that waiting part so you don't have to keep your phone tied up all day.
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Mohamed Anderson
19 I have to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I was desperate enough to try it last week when I couldn't get any answers about my missing W-2 situation. The service actually worked exactly as described - they waited on hold (for almost 2 hours!) and then called me when they got through to an IRS agent. The IRS representative was able to see what my employer had reported and gave me all the information I needed to complete Form 4852 accurately. Saved me from having to guess at numbers and potentially deal with issues later. I can't believe I wasted weeks trying to call them myself before trying this.
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Mohamed Anderson
11 A tip for FREETAXUSA specifically - after you select W-2 income, look for the checkbox that says something like "I did not receive a W-2 from this employer" when entering a new W-2. That will automatically set you up with Form 4852. Make sure you have: 1. The employer's name and address (even if they're out of business) 2. Your best estimate of wages and withholdings 3. An explanation of how you determined these amounts 4. Documentation of your efforts to obtain the W-2
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Mohamed Anderson
•22 Do you need to mail anything in when you file a return with Form 4852? Or can you still e-file through FREETAXUSA?
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Mohamed Anderson
•11 You can still e-file with FREETAXUSA even when including Form 4852. The system will prepare the form with your estimated information and include it with your electronic filing. You should keep all documentation of your attempts to get the W-2 and how you calculated your income estimates in your personal records. While you don't need to mail these documents with your return, you should keep them for at least 3 years in case the IRS has questions later. The IRS may contact you if their records show significantly different information than what you reported.
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Mohamed Anderson
14 Has anyone noticed that FREETAXUSA sometimes hides forms in weird places? I had to file a Schedule C last year and spent like an hour hunting for it before I found it buried in a submenu.
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Mohamed Anderson
•7 Yeah their interface can be confusing. For Form 4852 specifically, I found it by going to Income > Wages and Salaries > Add a W-2 > then there's a small text link at the bottom saying "Missing W-2" or something similar. It's really easy to miss.
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Maggie Martinez
15 I went through this exact same nightmare situation two years ago! My employer literally disappeared - office empty, phones disconnected, the works. Here's what I learned that might help your cousin: 1. **Document everything** - Keep records of all your attempts to contact the employer (emails, phone calls, etc.). The IRS may ask for proof that you tried to get the W-2. 2. **Check your Social Security account** - Go to ssa.gov and create an account. Your earnings should show up there even if you never got a W-2, which can help you get accurate wage amounts. 3. **Look at your final paystub carefully** - If she has ANY paystub from that job, it will show year-to-date totals that can help estimate the full year amounts. 4. **Bank statements are your friend** - Even without paystubs, your bank deposits from that employer can help reconstruct how much you actually received. The Form 4852 process in FREETAXUSA is actually pretty straightforward once you find it. Just be as accurate as possible with your estimates and keep all your documentation. I had no issues with my filing and the IRS never questioned it.
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Derek Olson
•This is incredibly helpful! I didn't know about checking the Social Security account online - that's a great tip. My cousin might not have any paystubs at all since this employer was so sketchy, but the bank statement approach makes total sense. Did you have any trouble later when the IRS processed your return? I'm worried they might flag it for review since there's no matching W-2 in their system.
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