How to file taxes when I can't get W2 access from a previous job I quit?

You'll need your W2 for 2024 specifically since that contains your exact earnings and withholdings for the tax year. The information from your previous filing only shows last year's amounts, not what you earned during those 4 months in 2024. If you can't get it from your former employer directly, you have a few options: 1. Request a wage and income transcript directly from the IRS. You can do this online at IRS.gov through their "Get Transcript" service, by phone, or by mailing Form 4506-T. This will show all reported income from your employers. 2. If you have your final paystub from that job, it should show your year-to-date earnings and withholdings, which would contain similar information to what would be on your W2. 3. As a last resort, you can file Form 4852 (Substitute for W2) with your tax return, using your best estimates from paystubs or other records. Don't try to use last year's information for this year's filing - that would be inaccurate and could cause problems later.

I went through something almost identical last year! I tried for weeks to get my W2 from a company that laid me off, and they kept "losing" my requests. I ended up using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was seriously a game-changer. They have this document analysis tool that helped me figure out exactly what to do with my last paystub. It showed me how to calculate all the numbers I needed for the substitute W2 form, and gave me step-by-step instructions for filing Form 4852 correctly. The system automatically extracted all the important tax data from my paystub and showed me exactly where each number needed to go on the form. I was really worried about making mistakes, but their guidance made the whole process super straightforward. Worth checking out if you're stuck like I was!

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai and it was actually super helpful! I uploaded those screenshots of my paystubs and it pulled all the important numbers automatically. It even flagged some things I wouldn't have noticed like my state disability insurance withholding that I almost missed. The system generated a perfect Form 4852 for me and explained exactly how to attach it to my return. Way easier than I expected, especially since my pay stubs were kind of a mess. My return is already accepted by the IRS, so everything must have been done correctly!

Another option that really saved me when I was in a similar situation - if you need to talk to an actual person at the IRS about this (which I eventually had to), use Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). There's also a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I spent TWO DAYS trying to get through to the IRS on my own with no luck. Claimyr got me connected with an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent was able to confirm what was reported by my employer and gave me specific guidance for my situation. For me, it turned out my former employer had filed my W2 but sent it to an old address. The IRS agent was able to verify all my information and tell me exactly what I needed to do next. Saved me a ton of stress when I was up against the filing deadline.

I take back what I said. I tried Claimyr yesterday out of desperation, and I'm shocked to say it actually worked. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes (they said it was a high-volume day). The agent confirmed my former employer HAD submitted my W2 info, and they were able to tell me exactly what was reported for wages and withholding. They also explained how to file Form 4852 with my return and what documentation I should keep in case of questions later. Would never have gotten this resolved without actually talking to someone at the IRS, and I would still be hitting redial without that service. Sometimes you have to admit when you're wrong, and I was definitely wrong about this one!

Quick tip: if you know roughly what you made at that job, you could also file for an extension (Form 4868) which gives you until October to file your actual return. That buys you time to get the wage transcript from the IRS, which should definitely be available by then. Just remember that filing an extension gives you more time to FILE, but not more time to PAY. So if you think you'll owe money, you should make an estimated payment when you file the extension to avoid penalties.

Also check your last paystub from that job!! If you have your final paystub, it should show year-to-date totals for everything that would be on your W2 - federal income tax withheld, social security, medicare, etc. I've used this method before and it worked fine.