Missing W2 from short-term job - should we still file our tax return?
I'm losing my mind trying to figure out what to do with my husband's missing W-2 from a job he had for like 6 weeks last summer. He made about $950 there (pre-tax) but the company completely went out of business in December. I've called, emailed, even drove by their old location... nothing. Ghost town. The frustrating part is this tiny amount is barely a blip in his overall income ($58,000 for the year). We have W-2s and everything else for the other 99% of his earnings. At this point I'm wondering if we should just file with what we have? Would the IRS even notice or care about this small missing amount? I'd rather pay a small penalty than keep banging my head against the wall trying to track down this document from a business that doesn't exist anymore. How much trouble would we be in if we just filed with the 99% of income we can document?
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Jasmine Hancock
I actually help people with this situation fairly often! You have a few options here: First, you can request a wage and income transcript from the IRS which would show all reported W-2 information. If the company did submit W-2 data before closing, it would appear there. You can request this online at the IRS website. Second, you can file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) with your best estimate of the wages and withholding. You'd need to use your husband's final paystub or bank deposits to make a reasonable approximation of what he earned and what was withheld. If neither of those work, filing without reporting that income isn't recommended. The IRS matching system will likely catch the discrepancy if the employer reported the wages, and you could face penalties and interest that would be more expensive than just handling it properly now.
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Cole Roush
•If I can't find any pay stubs either (cause my spouse is terrible at keeping records), how accurate does my estimate need to be on that 4852 form? Can I just use the bank deposits to figure it out?
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Jasmine Hancock
•Your estimate should be as accurate as possible, but the IRS understands you're working with limited information. Bank deposits work great as a starting point - just make sure you're only counting the deposits that came from that employer. For withholding amounts, if you don't have paystubs, you might need to estimate based on typical withholding rates. Make note on the form that you've made a good faith estimate based on available information since the employer is no longer in business.
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Scarlett Forster
I went through literally the exact same headache last year when a startup I worked for went under. Spent weeks trying to get my documents and getting nowhere. Finally used taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to analyze my bank statements and they helped me calculate exactly what needed to be reported. I uploaded my bank statements showing the deposits, and the tool figured out the likely withholdings based on standard rates. Made filing Form 4852 super straightforward and gave me peace of mind that my numbers were reasonable.
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Arnav Bengali
•Did you have any issues after filing? I'm worried the IRS will come after me if my estimates are off by a bit.
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Sayid Hassan
•How did you estimate the tax withholding if you didn't have paystubs? I'm in a similar situation but have no idea what they took out for federal and state taxes.
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Scarlett Forster
•I didn't have any issues after filing. The IRS just wants to see you making a good faith effort to report everything. As long as you're not wildly off, small differences won't trigger problems. For estimating withholdings without paystubs, the taxr.ai tool analyzed the difference between my gross salary and what was actually deposited to calculate the likely withholding amounts. It used standard withholding percentages based on my income level and filing status, then created documentation I could use to support my Form 4852. Made the whole process surprisingly easy.
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Sayid Hassan
Just wanted to update everyone - I ended up trying taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here. It was actually super helpful for my situation. I uploaded my bank statements showing the deposits from that employer, and the tool helped me calculate the likely withholding amounts. It even generated a report I could attach to my Form 4852 showing how I arrived at my numbers. Just filed yesterday and feel so much better having this resolved properly instead of taking chances with the IRS. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Rachel Tao
Another option to consider - I was in a similar situation and spent WEEKS trying to reach the IRS for guidance. Called like 20 times and never got through. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes who walked me through the whole process. They have a demo of how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they hold your place in the phone queue and call you when an agent is about to answer. The agent confirmed I was doing Form 4852 correctly and gave me specific instructions for my situation.
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Derek Olson
•Wait, how does this actually work? The IRS phone system is a nightmare - I've literally spent hours on hold before giving up. Does this service really get you through?
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Danielle Mays
•Sounds like a scam to me. Nobody can magically get through the IRS queue. They probably just take your money and you still wait forever.
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Rachel Tao
•It's not magic - they use a system that continuously redials and navigates the phone tree for you. When they're about to connect with an agent, they call your number and connect you. It saved me from having to sit on hold for hours. They don't promise immediate service - just that you don't have to personally wait on hold. In my case it took about 20 minutes, but I've heard it can sometimes take longer depending on IRS call volume. Still way better than doing it yourself though.
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Danielle Mays
I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After struggling with this same issue for weeks, I broke down and tried Claimyr. Got connected to an IRS rep in about 30 minutes (while I was cooking dinner!). The agent confirmed I could file Form 4852 with my best estimate based on bank records and gave me specific guidance for my situation. Honestly shocked it worked and saved me so much frustration. I've been trying to call them myself for literal weeks.
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Roger Romero
Just wanted to add - whatever you do, DON'T just ignore reporting the income. My brother did that with a small job (about $1200) a few years ago, and the IRS sent him a notice about 8 months after he filed. They had the W-2 info from the employer, assessed additional tax plus a 20% accuracy-related penalty AND interest. It ended up costing way more than if he'd just handled it correctly from the start.
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James Maki
•Thanks for sharing that! That's exactly what I was worried about. Did your brother have to file an amended return or did the IRS just send him a bill?
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Roger Romero
•The IRS sent him a CP2000 notice showing the discrepancy and their calculation of what he owed. He had the option to dispute it or agree and pay. Since it was legitimate income he hadn't reported, he just paid the amount. It wasn't catastrophic, but definitely more expensive and stressful than if he'd just reported it correctly the first time. The peace of mind from doing it right is worth the extra effort now.
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Anna Kerber
If the company truly went out of business and you have absolutely no way of getting the W-2, you should contact your state's Department of Labor. Many states require companies to maintain certain records even after closing, and the DOL might be able to help you get the information you need. Worked for me in a similar situation last year!
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Niko Ramsey
•This is great advice. I had a similar issue and found out the payroll records were being maintained by a third-party processor even though the business was gone. Might be worth checking if you know what payroll service they used.
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