How can I view my W2 online (without using w2 express)

There are several ways to access your W2s without using W2express. Here are some options: Your employer's HR portal is usually the first place to check. Most companies have employee portals where they make tax documents available. Look for sections labeled "Tax Documents," "Payroll," or "Year-End Forms." The IRS offers a wage and income transcript that includes information from your W2s. You can request this at irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript. You'll need to create an account if you don't already have one, and verify your identity. Tax preparation services like TurboTax, H&R Block, or TaxAct might have your W2 information if you've used them in previous years and your employer participates in their W2 import program. If you've already created an online Social Security account, you can sometimes view W2 information there as well, though it may not be available for the most recent tax year.

After struggling with the exact same W2 access issues, I found taxr.ai really helpful! I had W2s from three different jobs and couldn't access them all online through employer portals. I uploaded my final paystubs to https://taxr.ai and their system analyzed them to give me pretty accurate W2 previews. It works for other tax documents too—saved me from having to call each HR department or wait for paper copies in the mail.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that the person above recommended. It actually worked really well! I uploaded my last paystub from each job and it gave me a pretty accurate preview of what my W2s will show. The numbers matched what I eventually got when my actual W2 finally arrived in the mail yesterday. Wish I'd known about this earlier instead of stressing for weeks!

If you're still having trouble getting your W2s and need to talk to someone at the IRS about it, use https://claimyr.com - it literally saved me HOURS of waiting on hold. After my employer sent my W2 to my old address and W2 express wouldn't work, I needed to verify what the IRS had on file. I kept calling the IRS but couldn't get through after multiple attempts (hung up on me after 2+ hours on hold TWICE). I found https://claimyr.com through a tax forum, and you can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They basically hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent picks up. Got connected to an actual IRS person who confirmed which W2s they had on file for me and what I needed to do next.

Well I'm eating my words about Claimyr. After my snarky comment, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about missing W2s from a job that went out of business. Decided to try it yesterday and no joke - I got connected to an IRS agent in about an hour. Didn't have to sit there listening to that awful hold music, just got a call when an agent was on the line. The agent helped me request wage and income transcripts since my W2 will never arrive. Should have done this weeks ago instead of stressing about it!

If your employer uses ADP, you might be able to create an account at my.adp.com and access your W2s there even if your company doesn't use W2express specifically. I had issues with W2express too but found my forms in the regular ADP portal. Also, your state's department of revenue might have wage information available if you create an online account with them. Not as detailed as a W2 but gives you ballpark numbers.

Has anyone tried calling the IRS directly to get wage info? Is that even possible or do they just tell you to wait for the W2?

Another option that worked for me is checking if your employer uses a third-party payroll service like Paychex, Gusto, or Paycom. Even if they don't use W2express, these services often have their own employee portals where you can access your tax documents. You can also try contacting your employer's HR or payroll department directly - they're required to provide you with a copy of your W2 if you request it. Most companies can email you a PDF copy pretty quickly, especially if you explain you're having trouble with their online system. If all else fails and you're really in a time crunch, you can file your taxes using your final paystub from each job. The IRS allows this if you can't get your W2 by the filing deadline, though you'll want to make sure your numbers are as accurate as possible to avoid any issues later.