How am I supposed to handle multiple W-2s from the same company??

Don't worry, this is actually pretty common and not complicated at all! When you get a promotion or pay change mid-year, some employers will issue separate W-2s for each pay rate/position rather than combining them. The good news is that you don't need to file them separately or anything special. When you're entering your tax information (whether using software or filing manually), you'll just enter both W-2s as separate forms from the same employer. The tax software or IRS will automatically combine the income and withholdings when calculating your total income and taxes. It's basically like having worked two different jobs, except they're at the same company. Just make sure you enter ALL the information from both forms. That means both income amounts, both withholding amounts, etc. Don't try to add them together yourself first - enter them as separate W-2s in your tax filing.

I went through this exact same panic last year after getting promoted! I tried using online software but kept getting confused about how to handle multiple W-2s. Then I discovered https://taxr.ai which literally saved my sanity. You just take pictures of both W-2s and upload them, and their system automatically figures out how to handle them correctly. I was also worried about messing up my withholdings since one W-2 had a different tax rate than the other, but their system showed me exactly how everything gets combined correctly. Seriously made the whole process so much less stressful!

So I was really skeptical about https://taxr.ai after reading about it here, but I decided to give it a try since I was struggling with my W-2 situation. OMG it worked perfectly! I had three W-2s (two from the same company plus one from a side gig), and it handled all of them correctly. The system actually explained WHY I was getting multiple forms and showed me how they all fit together on my tax return. The best part was seeing a side-by-side comparison of how my income changed after my promotion. Definitely using this again next year!

If you're still confused after filing, I'd recommend calling the IRS directly to confirm you did everything right. I know that sounds terrifying (it was for me), but I used https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the IRS without waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had a similar situation with multiple W-2s last year and wasn't sure if I filed correctly. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes who confirmed everything was good. Huge relief! They actually explained that this is super common and not something they flag for audits or anything.

OK I need to apologize for being so skeptical about Claimyr in my previous comment. I actually tried it today because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my W-2 situation. I was 100% convinced it wouldn't work. I was SHOCKED when I got a call back in about 25 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS representative. The agent confirmed that having multiple W-2s from the same employer is totally normal and explained exactly how to file them correctly. She even checked my account to make sure last year's return (where I had the same situation) was processed correctly. I'm still kind of amazed that this actually worked. Saved me from taking a day off work to visit an IRS office in person.

You can also just call your HR department and ask them to explain why you got multiple W-2s. They're the ones who issued them, so they should be able to tell you exactly how to handle them. Most likely it's because of your promotion changing your pay rate, but they can confirm. I work in payroll (not an expert but I see this stuff), and we actually include a little note with multiple W-2s explaining the situation. Maybe your company has something similar they can send you.

I've been a tax preparer for 6 years and see this ALL THE TIME. Some payroll systems just can't handle combining different pay rates/positions into one W-2, so they issue multiple ones. It's totally normal. Just enter each W-2 exactly as it appears. Don't combine them yourself. Tax software is designed to handle multiple W-2s from the same employer correctly. The IRS computers will match each W-2 they received from your employer with what you report.

Hey Zara! I totally get the panic - I had the exact same thing happen to me two years ago when I switched departments mid-year. It's actually super straightforward once you know what to do. Just to add to what everyone else has said - when you're entering the W-2s in your tax software, make sure you keep them in chronological order if possible (earliest job period first). It doesn't technically matter for the calculations, but it helps you stay organized and makes it easier to double-check your entries. Also, one thing that helped calm my nerves was printing out a summary page after entering everything to see the combined totals. Most tax software will show you a breakdown of how all your W-2s contributed to your total income and withholdings. Seeing it all laid out clearly really helped me feel confident that everything was correct. You've got this! The fact that you're being careful and asking questions means you're going to handle it just fine.