My W2 shows wrong gross income - thousands less than actual salary

This is definitely something you need to address. When your W2 doesn't match what you actually earned, it creates problems for both you and the IRS. The good news is you have options that don't necessarily require confronting your difficult boss directly. First, request a corrected W2 (called a W2-c) from your employer in writing - email works well as it creates a paper trail. Keep it simple and non-accusatory: "I noticed a discrepancy between my annual earnings and my W2 amount. Could you please verify and issue a corrected W2 if needed?" If your employer refuses to correct it or doesn't respond, you can contact the IRS directly. Call them at 800-829-1040, and they'll prepare a Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) that you can file with your tax return. You'll need your pay stubs and bank statements to verify your actual earnings. Filing with an incorrect W2 that underreports your income could potentially trigger an audit, especially if your employer reported the correct amount to the IRS but gave you an incorrect form. The discrepancy will eventually be noticed.

Hey there, I went through literally the exact same situation last year with my former employer. The company had somehow excluded my bonuses from the W2 total, resulting in about $9K missing from my reported income. After weeks of getting nowhere with my manager, I found an amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure out exactly what was wrong and how to fix it. I uploaded my paystubs and the incorrect W2, and their system identified exactly which payments were missing from the W2 calculation. They generated a detailed report that I could use to either approach my employer or file with the IRS directly. The service basically confirmed what I suspected but gave me the documentation to prove it wasn't just me being confused about my own pay. The best part was I could handle everything without having to have that awkward confrontation with my boss. They even provided a template letter requesting the W2-c that was professional enough that my company's accounting department finally took it seriously.

Just wanted to follow up on my skeptical comment earlier. I ended up trying taxr.ai after hitting a wall with my own employer's payroll department. I had a similar issue where my W2 was showing about $5K less than what I actually earned, and my employer kept insisting their numbers were correct. The service was actually pretty impressive. Within minutes of uploading my documents, I got a detailed breakdown showing exactly which pay periods were missing from my W2 total. They highlighted that my employer had somehow omitted my December earnings entirely from the W2 calculation. Armed with this specific information, I was able to go back to payroll with something concrete rather than just saying "the numbers don't match." They immediately saw the error and issued a corrected W2 within days. Saved me from having to deal with the IRS directly, which was a huge relief.

If you're struggling to get a response from your employer about fixing your W2, I strongly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get direct help from the IRS. Last year, I had the same issue with incorrect W2 income reporting, and my employer completely stonewalled me. After trying for weeks to get a corrected form, I used Claimyr's service to connect with an actual IRS agent. Their system got me through to a real person at the IRS in about 20 minutes instead of the usual hours-long wait or getting disconnected. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent walked me through exactly what documentation I needed to submit with my Form 4852 and even initiated contact with my employer on my behalf. Having that official IRS involvement made my employer take the issue seriously, and they finally issued the corrected W2-c.

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment earlier. After another frustrating day of getting disconnected by the IRS phone system three times (after waiting 45+ minutes each time), I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. I was absolutely shocked when they called me back in about 30 minutes and connected me directly to an IRS representative who was already briefed on my issue. The agent explained that many employers make this type of mistake with W2s and walked me through my options. For anyone facing this W2 discrepancy issue, speaking directly with the IRS was incredibly helpful. They confirmed that filing with Form 4852 was appropriate in my situation and gave me specific guidance on the documentation needed. Saved me countless hours of frustration and probably weeks of delays in getting my refund.

Just another perspective - the $8k discrepancy could be related to pre-tax deductions. Check if you have 401k, health insurance, HSA, transit benefits, or other pre-tax benefits that might account for the difference. Your gross pay before these deductions would be higher than your taxable wages on the W2. The Box 1 amount on your W2 ("Wages, tips, other compensation") is often lower than your actual salary because it only shows taxable wages after certain pre-tax deductions. Look at your final paystub of the year and compare the YTD gross pay with the YTD taxable wages - that might explain the difference.

Something to consider - check if Box 12 on your W2 has any codes like D, E, F, G, H, S, or similar with amounts listed. These are retirement plan contributions which would reduce the amount shown in Box 1 (wages and compensation) without reducing what you were actually paid. Box 1 on the W2 doesn't show your total compensation - it shows your federally taxable wages after all pre-tax deductions. This is a super common misunderstanding about W2s that causes a lot of panic!

Given that you've ruled out pre-tax deductions and multiple employees have the same issue, this definitely sounds like a systematic payroll error that needs to be addressed. Here's my recommended approach: Document everything first - gather all your paystubs, bank statements showing deposits, and any employment agreements. Calculate the exact discrepancy after accounting for all legitimate pre-tax items. Since your boss is difficult to approach, consider sending a brief, professional email that focuses on the factual discrepancy rather than making accusations: "Hi [Boss], I'm preparing my taxes and noticed my W2 shows $X in Box 1, but my records show I received $Y in gross pay this year. Could you help me understand this difference or arrange for a corrected W2 if needed?" The fact that multiple employees have this issue actually works in your favor - it suggests this isn't about individual employee confusion but rather a processing error. If your employer won't cooperate, the IRS Form 4852 route is completely legitimate in this situation. Don't file with the incorrect amount - it will likely trigger correspondence from the IRS later when they match your employer's quarterly reports with your tax return. Better to resolve this upfront than deal with it during an audit.