Missing 2022 W-2 from permanently closed company - what options do I have?

You're definitely not the first person to deal with this unfortunate situation! When you can't get a W-2 from a former employer who's gone out of business, you have a few options: First, try contacting the owner through any means possible - email, phone, social media. Document these attempts as proof you tried to get your W-2. If your coworker does reach out, ask them to mention your situation too. If that doesn't work by February 15th (give them a little time after the deadline), you'll need to contact the IRS at 800-829-1040. They'll ask for your personal info, the employer's name, address, phone number, and your employment dates and estimated earnings/withholding. The IRS will send a letter to the employer and provide you with Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2). You'll use this form to file your taxes, estimating your wages and withholding as accurately as possible using your final pay stubs or other records. Keep in mind that even defunct businesses are legally required to provide W-2s, and the IRS can impose penalties on the owner personally. The obligation doesn't disappear just because they closed shop.

After dealing with a similar nightmare with a small business that closed, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was seriously helpful. I uploaded my bank statements showing deposits and they helped create a substitute earnings record that the IRS accepted. The system analyzed my deposit patterns to figure out what was likely payroll vs other deposits, and even estimated what my withholdings probably were based on typical rates. Saved me from having to manually piece everything together or guess what my W-2 might have shown. They also generated the required Form 4852 with all the right details pre-filled. Way easier than trying to figure it all out myself when my employer had basically vanished.

Just wanted to follow up - I was skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to give it a try since I was desperate. It actually worked great! I uploaded my bank statements showing the deposits from that nightmare job I had last year, and it identified what was probably payroll vs other deposits. The system helped me create a substitute W-2 with Form 4852 that looked professional and had all the right information. I was worried the IRS would give me trouble, but my return was accepted without any issues. They even helped estimate what my withholdings probably were based on state averages. Wish I'd known about this earlier instead of stressing for weeks about my missing W-2!

If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about this situation (which might be necessary), good luck getting through their phone system... I spent HOURS trying before I found https://claimyr.com through a YouTube video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). They basically hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent is about to answer. Saved me literally 3+ hours of hold time when I was dealing with a similar missing W-2 situation. The IRS agent was actually super helpful once I got through - they sent me the forms I needed and explained exactly what to do. For something complicated like missing W-2s from a closed business, actually talking to a human at the IRS makes the whole process much easier. They can check if your employer filed anything with them at all.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to talk to the IRS about my missing W-2 situation. It worked exactly as described - I entered my phone number, they called me back about 45 minutes later saying they had an IRS agent on the line, and suddenly I was talking to a real person at the IRS! No more endless hold music or getting disconnected after waiting for ages. The IRS agent helped me file Form 4852 and gave me specific instructions for my situation. They even told me they could see that my employer hadn't submitted any W-2s for 2022, which confirmed they were completely dodging their responsibilities. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind alone.

I had the same situation happen in 2023. I ended up going to the IRS office in person (make an appointment online first) and they were able to look up if anything had been filed under my SSN from that employer. In my case, the owner had actually filed W-2s but just never sent them to employees. The IRS printed out a wage and income transcript for me on the spot which had all the information I needed. If your ex-boss actually did file your info with the IRS but just didn't send you the W-2, this can save you from having to estimate anything!

Don't forget about your state tax return too! You'll need to file a similar substitute form for your state taxes in most cases. Each state has their own version of the federal substitute W-2 form. Just google "[your state] substitute W-2" to find it.

Make sure you also report this guy to your state's labor department! Even though the business is closed, he might still face penalties for wage theft and improper payroll practices. Those agencies can sometimes go after personal assets if the violations were bad enough. Might get some justice for all of you who worked there.