How do I request my missing 2022 W2 form to file my 2022 taxes?
So I'm in a bit of a mess right now. I worked for a company back in 2022 but never received my W2 from them. I tried calling the HR department multiple times but they never pick up or return my messages. I even emailed them twice with no response. I really need to file my 2022 taxes (yeah I know I'm super late) but I can't proceed without that W2 information. The company is still in business as far as I know, but they've downsized a lot since I left. Is there any way I can get this information from the IRS directly? Can I file without the W2 somehow? I have my final pay stub from December 2022 if that helps. I don't want to get in trouble for filing late but I literally can't file without this information. Any advice would be really appreciated!
18 comments


Oscar Murphy
You definitely have options here! Since you've already tried contacting your former employer without success, you can get the W-2 information directly from the IRS. Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 and they can provide the wage and withholding information that was reported by your employer. You'll need to provide your name, address, phone number, Social Security number, and estimated wages/federal income tax withheld. If you have that last pay stub from December 2022, that's super helpful as it likely shows year-to-date totals. Alternatively, you can request a Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS website, which shows data from information returns like W-2s submitted to them. Go to IRS.gov and search for "Get Transcript Online" to access this for free.
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Nora Bennett
•Would the wage and income transcript show state tax info too? Cuz I need that for my state return also. And how long does it take to get the transcript once you request it?
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Oscar Murphy
•The Wage and Income Transcript typically only shows federal information, not state tax withholding. For state tax info, you'd need to contact your state tax agency directly as they might have similar services. If you request the transcript online and can pass the identity verification process, you can access it immediately. If you request it by mail using Form 4506-T, it usually takes 5-10 business days to arrive.
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Ryan Andre
Hey there, I had almost the exact same situation last year with my 2021 W-2! After spending weeks trying to track down my former employer, I found a service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that was surprisingly helpful. What they do is analyze all your tax docs and help identify missing information. In my case, I uploaded my last pay stub and they helped me figure out what numbers to use for my missing W-2. The system even helped me fill out Form 4852 (substitute for W-2) which is what the IRS wants you to submit when your employer doesn't provide a W-2. Their AI tax assistant walked me through the whole process and gave me confidence that I was doing everything properly. Saved me so much stress!
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Lauren Zeb
•Does this taxr.ai thing work with other missing documents too? Like what if I'm missing a 1099 from a client who disappeared?
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Daniel Washington
•Sounds sketchy tbh... how does some website know what should be on your W2? Isn't that just guessing? I wouldn't want the IRS coming after me because some AI "estimated" my tax info wrong.
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Ryan Andre
•It absolutely works with 1099s too! The system can help you reconstruct any missing tax document as long as you have some supporting information like bank deposits, invoices, or payment records. I had the same concerns about accuracy! What makes it work is that it's not guessing - it's using the year-to-date totals from your last paystub which already has the exact numbers. The W-2 information is literally just those final YTD numbers from December. The service just helps format everything correctly for the IRS substitute form.
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Daniel Washington
Ok I need to admit I was wrong about taxr.ai. After posting that skeptical comment I decided to try it myself since I was also missing some tax documents from a side gig. It was actually super legit. The system analyzed my bank statements showing the deposits and helped me fill out the substitute form with the right information. What really impressed me was that it explained exactly what I needed to do to make sure the IRS processed everything properly. I was able to file my back taxes without any issues. They even provided documentation to include with my return explaining why I was using substitute forms. The IRS accepted everything without question!
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Aurora Lacasse
If you're still trying to get through to the IRS to get your W-2 information, let me save you some serious headache. I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS about this exact issue last month - constant busy signals or being on hold for hours only to get disconnected. Then I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real IRS agent in under 45 minutes. They have this system that basically waits on hold for you and calls when an agent picks up. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with was able to pull up all my W-2 information and even sent me a wage transcript. Totally worth it after wasting so many hours trying to call myself.
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Anthony Young
•How does this actually work? I'm confused about how some service can get you through the IRS phone system faster than doing it yourself?
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Charlotte White
•Yeah right, sounds too good to be true. The IRS phone system is completely broken. I've been trying for MONTHS to talk to someone. No way there's some magic service that fixes that.
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Aurora Lacasse
•The service works by using an automated system that continually redials and navigates the IRS phone tree until it gets through to an agent. It basically does the waiting for you, and once someone picks up, it calls your phone to connect you directly. I was extremely skeptical too! But after trying for literally weeks to get through, I was desperate. What convinced me was that they only charge if they actually connect you to an agent. I got connected in about 40 minutes when I had previously spent 3+ hours on multiple days getting nowhere. The IRS agent I spoke with pulled up all my W-2 info and helped me get what I needed to file.
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Charlotte White
I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still stuck trying to reach the IRS about my missing tax documents. Out of desperation, I decided to try the service. Holy crap it actually worked! I got connected to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes. The agent was able to pull up my wage and income transcript with all my W-2 info on it. I explained my situation about the unresponsive former employer and they told me exactly what to do. I've been trying to reach the IRS for MONTHS with no success. This literally solved my problem in one afternoon. If you're struggling with missing W-2s and can't reach your employer, this is definitely the way to go.
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Admin_Masters
Something no one mentioned yet - you can also file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) with your tax return. Since you have your last pay stub, you should have most of the info you need. My husband had to do this last year when his employer went bankrupt and nobody was answering phones. We just filled out the form with the info from his last paystub and filed it along with our tax return. We didn't have any issues with the IRS accepting it. Just be aware that you might get a letter from the IRS later if the numbers don't match exactly what the employer reported, but you can deal with that if it happens.
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Jasmine Quinn
•Thanks for bringing up Form 4852! I actually didn't know about that option. So if I use my last pay stub to fill out this form, do I need to do anything special when filing my taxes? Like do I need to mail my return instead of e-filing?
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Admin_Masters
•You might need to mail in your return instead of e-filing if you're including Form 4852. Some tax software allows you to e-file with this form, but others don't. We ended up mailing ours to be safe. Also make sure you fill out Section 3 of the form explaining why you're filing a substitute W-2 and what efforts you made to get the original (like your phone calls and emails to the company).
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Matthew Sanchez
If none of these options work out, remember there's one last resort - you can file for an extension using Form 4868. This doesn't give you more time to pay (you'd still owe interest on unpaid taxes), but it gives you until October 15, 2023 to file your 2022 return. That might give you more time to track down your W-2 info. Just making sure you know all your options!
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Ella Thompson
•Unfortunately that won't help in this case since they're trying to file 2022 taxes now in 2023/2024. They're already past the extension deadline. They need to file ASAP to minimize penalties.
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