Should my W2 form show 2024 or 2023 on the bottom when filing taxes?

Your W-2 should show 2023 at the bottom because it's reporting the income you earned during the 2023 tax year. The form itself was issued in 2024, but it's documenting your earnings and tax withholdings from 2023. Think of it this way - the W-2 is a summary of what happened last year (2023), even though you're receiving the document this year (2024). Your employer had until January 31, 2024 to provide you with your 2023 W-2 form. If your W-2 shows 2024 at the bottom, that would actually be incorrect since it would be documenting the current year that's still in progress. You wouldn't have a complete 2024 W-2 until January 2025.

After struggling with this same W-2 date confusion last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure out exactly what I needed. I was confused about some form dates and whether I had the right documents, and this tool actually analyzed all my tax docs and told me if anything was wrong or missing. It saved me so much time because it caught that my employer had made a mistake on my form before I filed - the year was wrong at the bottom just like you're asking about. You just upload your tax documents and it scans them to make sure everything is correct and tells you what might cause problems.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was super helpful! My W2 actually DID have the wrong year (2024 instead of 2023) at the bottom and I wouldn't have caught it. The tool flagged it immediately along with a missing box code on one of my 1099s. Saved me from what would have been a headache during filing. Really glad I checked before submitting everything!

If you're having trouble getting a corrected W-2 from your employer (which happens a lot), I recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to the IRS quickly. Last year my employer sent me a W-2 with the wrong year, then took forever to correct it. I tried calling the IRS but kept getting the "call volume too high" message for days. Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS person in about 15 minutes who explained exactly what to do when your employer won't fix your W-2. They have this whole system that basically waits on hold for you and calls when an agent is ready. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

Ok I feel dumb now. I tried Claimyr after being skeptical and it actually worked. Got through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes (after trying for THREE DAYS on my own with no luck). The agent confirmed that if your W2 has 2024 on it when it should be for tax year 2023, your employer made a mistake and needs to correct it. She said they see this all the time in February and gave me instructions for what to do if my employer won't fix it. Worth every penny just for the time saved not listening to that horrible hold music!

Just to add another data point - I'm a payroll manager and we ALWAYS put the tax year (not the distribution year) on the W-2. So for forms we're sending out in January 2024, they should all say 2023 on them because they're reporting 2023 income. If your form says 2024, it's definitely wrong and your employer needs to issue a corrected W-2.

How can I tell for sure what tax year my W2 is for if the date is confusing me? Are there other indicators on the form?

Great question! Your W-2 should definitely show 2023 at the bottom since it's reporting your income and tax withholdings from the 2023 tax year. Even though you received the form in 2024, it's documenting what happened during 2023. Here's an easy way to double-check: Look at the pay period dates on your last paystub from 2023 and compare the year-to-date totals with Box 1 (wages) on your W-2. They should match up, confirming this is your 2023 W-2. If your W-2 shows 2024 instead of 2023, that's an error from your employer and you'll need to request a corrected form before filing. Don't worry though - this happens more often than you'd think, especially in January when payroll departments are rushing to get forms out!

This is actually a really common source of confusion! Your W-2 should show 2023 at the bottom because it's reporting your earnings and tax withholdings from the 2023 tax year. The fact that you received the form in 2024 doesn't matter - what matters is which tax year's income it's documenting. Think of it this way: your W-2 is like a year-end summary of what happened financially between you and your employer during 2023. Your employer was required to send it to you by January 31, 2024, but it's still a 2023 document. If your W-2 accidentally shows 2024, that would be a mistake since 2024 isn't over yet and you haven't earned a full year's worth of income to report. You'd need to contact your employer for a corrected form before filing your taxes. Hope this helps clear things up! Tax season can be confusing enough without worrying about whether you have the right forms.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who made this exact mistake last year! I filed my 2022 taxes using a W-2 that had 2023 printed at the bottom (my employer's error), and it caused a huge headache. The IRS rejected my return because their records showed I should have been filing with a 2022 W-2, not a 2023 one. I had to contact my employer, wait for them to issue a corrected W-2 with 2022 on it, then refile everything. It delayed my refund by about 6 weeks. So definitely make sure that year matches what you're actually filing for! The general rule is: if you're filing your 2023 taxes (which you do in early 2024), your W-2 should say 2023. If you're filing 2024 taxes (which you'll do in early 2025), your W-2 should say 2024. The year on the W-2 should always match the tax year you're filing, not the current calendar year.

Your W-2 should absolutely show 2023 at the bottom! The year on the form represents the tax year being reported, not when the form was issued. Since you're filing your 2023 taxes, you need a W-2 that documents your 2023 earnings and withholdings. Here's a quick way to verify you have the right form: Check if the wages in Box 1 match what you actually earned throughout 2023. If the numbers line up with your expectations from last year's work, then you're good to go - even if you just received the form this month. Your employer had until January 31, 2024 to get your 2023 W-2 to you, so receiving it in 2024 is totally normal. What would be abnormal (and incorrect) is if the form showed 2024, since that tax year isn't complete yet. Don't feel bad about double-checking this - it's actually a smart move that could save you processing delays later!

This is a great question that trips up a lot of people! Your W-2 should definitely show 2023 at the bottom since you're filing for the 2023 tax year. The form reports what you earned and had withheld during 2023, even though you received it in 2024. Here's a simple way to remember it: the year on your W-2 always matches the tax year you're filing for, not the year you receive the form. So when you file your 2023 return (which happens in early 2024), your W-2 should say 2023. If your W-2 shows 2024, that's definitely an error and you should contact your employer right away for a corrected form. A 2024 W-2 would be for income you haven't even finished earning yet! Before you start entering info into tax software, just double-check that the wages in Box 1 roughly match what you remember earning last year - that's another good way to confirm you have the right year's form.