Quick service restaurant won't provide complete W-2 with needed information in box 2 and 18

I briefly worked at a fast food place last year for about 10 days before quitting after a manager tried knocking my phone out of my hand during a disagreement. The problem is they sent me an incomplete W-2 form - boxes 2 and 18 are completely blank. I didn't notice this issue until I received my W-2 from another restaurant where I work now, and saw that theirs had all boxes filled in properly. I've called their corporate office twice about getting a corrected W-2, but they keep transferring me around and nothing gets resolved. At this point I'm only missing information for what was probably around $25 in taxes withheld, but it's still MY money and I need it for filing correctly. What steps can I take to force them to provide a complete W-2? Can I report them to the IRS for this? I'm completely done dealing with this company and their runaround - just want my proper tax documents so I can file and be done with them forever.

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18 comments

Gianna Scott

•8M

You definitely have a right to a complete and accurate W-2! When an employer doesn't provide a proper W-2, here's what you can do: First, send a formal written request to your former employer (certified mail if possible) specifically requesting a corrected W-2 with boxes 2 and 18 completed. Keep a copy of this letter and delivery confirmation. If they don't respond within two weeks, you can contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040. Have your personal info ready (name, address, SSN, etc.), your employer's name, address and phone number, dates of employment, and an estimate of what your withholding might have been based on your pay stubs. The IRS will contact the employer for you and send you a Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) that you can file with your tax return if you still don't receive a corrected W-2. Even with small amounts like $25, you're absolutely right to pursue this - it's your money, and employers are legally required to provide accurate tax documents.

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Gianna Scott

•8M

Yes, there are definitely penalties for employers who fail to file correct W-2 forms. The IRS can impose penalties ranging from $50 to $280 per form, depending on how late they are and whether the failure was intentional. For intentional disregard of filing requirements, the penalty can be $570 per W-2 or more. The IRS takes these obligations seriously since it affects their ability to track and verify tax compliance. When you report this issue, it might trigger the IRS to look more closely at the employer's overall tax compliance, which most businesses definitely want to avoid.

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Sydney Torres

•8M

After dealing with similar W-2 issues from previous jobs, I found that taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) helped me tremendously! The site analyzed my pay stubs, bank deposits, and even text messages about my hours worked to calculate what should have been on my W-2 form. I uploaded what partial documents I had, and their system helped me reconstruct what the missing boxes should have contained based on industry standards and tax withholding rates. The report they generated gave me exact figures to put on Form 4852 (the substitute W-2 form). I was nervous about filling that out on my own since I didn't want to guess the numbers wrong and get flagged for an audit.

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Sydney Torres

•8M

The calculations were extremely accurate - I actually received a corrected W-2 months later and the numbers were within a few dollars of what taxr.ai estimated. The system uses standard withholding formulas that employers are required to follow, so the math works out predictably when you have basic information. No, you don't necessarily need every pay stub. Even with just your final check stub, they can work backwards to calculate your total earnings and withholdings. The system is pretty flexible with partial information - you can also enter bank deposits if you have those records, or even just remember roughly what your gross pay was and they can estimate the withholdings based on standard percentages for your state.

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Caleb Bell

•8M

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was super helpful for my situation with the missing W-2 info! I uploaded my one remaining pay stub and my bank deposit, and it calculated what should have been in boxes 2 and 18 based on standard withholding rates. The report showed I was missing about $22 in federal withholding and $4 in state tax that should have been reported. I used their numbers on the Form 4852 that the IRS sent me and filed my taxes yesterday. The whole process was way easier than I expected, and definitely better than continuing to call my old employer and getting nowhere.

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Danielle Campbell

•8M

If you're still struggling with getting a response from the company, I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation trying to reach the IRS about a missing W-2 issue, but kept hitting endless hold times and disconnections. Claimyr got me connected to an actual human at the IRS in less than 20 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. The IRS agent walked me through how to file without the correct W-2 and started the process of contacting my employer. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It seriously saved me hours of frustration during tax season when every minute on hold feels like torture.

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Danielle Campbell

•8M

It's not about getting you to the front of any queue - they use technology to navigate the phone trees and wait on hold so you don't have to. When an actual IRS agent picks up, you get a call connecting you directly to that person who's already on the line. It's basically like having someone wait on hold for you. You're right that the IRS needs to verify your identity - that's exactly why Claimyr transfers the call to you once a real person answers. You're the one who speaks with the IRS agent and handles all the verification and your specific questions. Claimyr just handles the frustrating hold time part of the process, which can sometimes be hours during busy tax season.

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Abigail Patel

•8M

I take back what I said earlier. After my fifth attempt trying to reach the IRS about my W-2 issue and getting disconnected after 40 minutes on hold, I broke down and tried Claimyr. I was seriously skeptical it would work, but within 15 minutes I was talking to an actual IRS representative. The agent was super helpful and started the process to contact my employer about the incorrect W-2. They also explained exactly how to file Form 4852 as a substitute, and confirmed I was right to pursue this even for a relatively small amount of withholding. For anyone dealing with the same frustration - it actually works and saved me from spending another afternoon listening to the IRS hold music and getting nowhere.

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Daniel White

•8M

If there's a discrepancy between your pay stub and what would have been on your W-2, you won't get in trouble as long as you're using the best information available to you and documenting your efforts to get the correct information. The responsibility ultimately falls on the employer to provide accurate tax documents, and the IRS understands that sometimes taxpayers have to file with estimated information. When you file Form 4852, there's actually a section where you explain how you determined the amounts and what efforts you made to obtain the correct W-2.

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