Questions about W-2 Fields 12 and 14 - are my employer's codes correct?

Your W-2 actually looks correct! Let me explain how these boxes work: For Box 12, code DD represents your employer's contributions to your health insurance, which doesn't affect your taxable wages since it's their money, not yours. Code D is your 401k contributions, which correctly reduces your Box 1 wages (federal taxable income) but not Box 3/5 (Social Security/Medicare wages) if you're contributing to a traditional 401k. For Box 14, these are actually employer-designated codes - they're not standardized IRS codes. Your employer can use any letters they want here and define what they mean. In your case, they've chosen to use K for dental/vision and V for your portion of health insurance. Different companies use different letters for these benefits. The math is correct - only your 401k contributions (code D) should be deducted from Box 1 wages when compared to Box 3/5, assuming you have a traditional 401k. The DD amount shouldn't affect any wage calculations since that's your employer's contribution.

I had similar confusion with my W-2 last year and wasted hours trying to figure it out. I finally used https://taxr.ai to analyze my W-2 and other tax documents. Their system actually explained exactly what each code meant for MY specific situation rather than generic IRS explanations. It confirmed my employer had put custom codes in Box 14 (just like yours) and walked me through how each deduction affected my taxable income. What I found most helpful was that it compared my pay stubs to my W-2 to verify everything matched up. Before using it, I was convinced my employer had messed up my withholdings, but it turned out everything was correct - I just didn't understand how the different boxes related to each other.

I just tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and wow, I wish I'd known about this sooner! I've been confused about my W-2 codes for years. My employer uses completely different letters in Box 14 than the original poster (mine are "INS" for health insurance and "FSA" for flexible spending account), but the system immediately recognized them and explained how they impact my taxes. It also caught that my employer had been including my HSA contributions in Box 1 wages when they shouldn't have been! Going to get that fixed before filing this year. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about any of your tax forms.

If you're still having issues with your W-2 after checking all the calculations, you might need to contact the IRS directly. Good luck with that though - I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through their phone system last year for a similar issue. Finally found https://claimyr.com and their service connected me to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical but desperate after wasting hours on hold. They basically navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you back when they have an agent on the line. The agent was able to confirm what fields should contain which values and told me how to request a corrected W-2 from my employer if needed.

I have to eat my words about Claimyr being a scam. After another frustrating morning trying to reach the IRS about MY W-2 code questions (and getting disconnected twice after 45+ minute holds), I broke down and tried the service. They got me connected to an IRS representative in about 35 minutes while I was able to continue working. The IRS agent confirmed everything the first commenter explained - Box 14 codes are employer-specific and not standardized IRS codes. They also explained that my employer health insurance contributions (DD) shouldn't affect my taxable wages, but my own contributions should reduce Box 1. Saved me hours of frustration and now I can file with confidence.

Former payroll specialist here! Just to add a bit more clarity: Box 14 is essentially a "notes" section where employers can put whatever additional information they want to share with you. There are NO standard codes for Box 14 - every employer makes up their own. This is different from Box 12, which uses standardized IRS codes (like your DD and D). As for your calculations, here's a simplified formula: Gross Wages - Pre-tax deductions (401k, health/dental/vision premiums, FSA, etc.) = Box 1 Wages Your Box 3 Social Security wages will be Gross Wages - any non-taxable items that are exempt from FICA (like dependent care benefits), but 401k is NOT exempt from FICA taxes.

Quick question - if my W-2 has errors like wrong codes or amounts, what's the fastest way to get it fixed? My employer is small and doesn't have a real HR department. Tax deadline is coming up fast!

This is such a helpful thread! I've been staring at my W-2 for weeks trying to figure out why the numbers didn't seem to add up. Like the original poster, I was confused about Box 14 codes that I couldn't find anywhere in IRS documentation. My employer uses "HI" for health insurance and "DC" for dependent care in Box 14, which now makes sense knowing these are just their own internal codes. What really helped me was the formula from Marilyn - I calculated my gross wages minus all my pre-tax deductions and it perfectly matched my Box 1 wages. For anyone else struggling with this, I'd recommend getting your final pay stub from last year and comparing the year-to-date totals with your W-2. Your gross pay minus pre-tax deductions should equal Box 1, and that's where you can spot any discrepancies. Thanks everyone for the explanations!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been doing my own taxes for years but never really understood the difference between Box 12 and Box 14 codes until now. What really clicked for me was learning that Box 14 is basically a "free-form" section where employers can put whatever they want using their own coding system. I kept trying to cross-reference my employer's codes with IRS publications and getting frustrated when I couldn't find them anywhere. The math check suggestion is gold - I just pulled out my December pay stub and verified that my gross wages minus all pre-tax deductions (401k, health insurance, FSA) exactly equals my Box 1 wages on the W-2. It's reassuring to know the numbers are correct and my employer didn't make any errors. One thing I'd add for anyone reading this: if you switched employers during the year, you might have multiple W-2s with completely different Box 14 coding systems. Don't panic if Company A used "MED" for health insurance and Company B used "HI" - they're just different internal labels for the same thing!

This entire discussion has been a lifesaver! I've been putting off filing my taxes because I was convinced my employer had made errors on my W-2, but now I understand the system much better. What really helped me was the step-by-step approach several people mentioned: 1) Understanding that Box 12 uses official IRS codes while Box 14 is just employer notes, 2) Using the formula to verify Box 1 wages (Gross - Pre-tax deductions), and 3) Comparing my final pay stub to the W-2. I just did this exercise and everything checks out perfectly. My employer used "DENT" and "VIS" in Box 14 for dental and vision (which I couldn't find in any IRS documentation), but when I calculated my gross wages minus my 401k, health insurance, and other pre-tax deductions, it matched Box 1 exactly. Thanks to everyone who contributed - this thread should be pinned for anyone confused about W-2 codes! It's saved me from potentially filing incorrectly or wasting time trying to get a "corrected" W-2 that was actually right all along.

This has been such an educational thread! I'm in my second year of filing taxes and was having the exact same confusion as the original poster about Box 14 codes. My employer uses "MED", "DEN", and "ST" (short-term disability) in Box 14, and I kept searching for these codes in IRS publications thinking I was missing something important. The lightbulb moment for me was understanding that Box 14 is essentially just an informational section where employers can track whatever benefits they want using their own internal coding system. It's not tied to any official tax calculations - it's just there to help you understand what deductions were taken from your pay. I also verified my numbers using the formula everyone mentioned (Gross wages - Pre-tax deductions = Box 1 wages) and everything balances perfectly. It's amazing how much anxiety this simple understanding can eliminate! Now I feel confident moving forward with my tax filing instead of worrying that my employer made errors. For anyone else reading this thread, definitely take the time to do the math verification - it's so reassuring to confirm that the numbers actually work out correctly.

This thread has been absolutely fantastic! I just received my first W-2 from my new job and was completely panicking because the codes in Box 14 didn't match anything I could find online. My employer uses "HEALTH", "401K", and "COMMUTE" (for transit benefits), and I was convinced they had made up fake codes or something was seriously wrong. Reading through all these explanations has been such a huge relief - now I understand that Box 14 is basically just a notes section where each company can use whatever labels they want! It makes so much sense now why I couldn't find these "codes" in any official IRS documentation. I just did the math check that everyone's been recommending: took my final pay stub from last year, subtracted all my pre-tax deductions from my gross wages, and it matches my Box 1 wages exactly. Everything is actually correct - I was just overthinking it because I didn't understand the system. Thank you to everyone who took the time to explain this so clearly! This thread should definitely be bookmarked for anyone dealing with W-2 confusion for the first time. You've saved me from a lot of unnecessary stress and probably prevented me from bothering my HR department with questions that would have made me look clueless.

This thread has been incredibly educational! As someone who switched from being a contractor to a full-time employee this year, I was completely lost trying to understand my first W-2. My previous 1099s were so much simpler! My employer uses "HLTH-INS", "VISION", and "TRANSIT" in Box 14, and like everyone else here, I was frantically searching IRS websites thinking these were official codes I needed to decode. It never occurred to me that companies just make up their own labels for internal tracking. The verification method everyone's sharing is gold - I just pulled out my final December paystub and did the math: gross wages minus all pre-tax deductions (401k, health premiums, transit pass) equals my Box 1 wages exactly. What a relief to know everything is actually correct! This discussion has saved me from so much unnecessary stress and confusion. I was about to contact my company's finance team thinking they had made errors, but now I can file confidently. Thank you to everyone who took the time to explain this so clearly - it's been a lifesaver for someone navigating W-2s for the first time!