Still haven't received my W-2 from small family business - already March!
Title: Still haven't received my W-2 from small family business - already March! 1 I'm at my wit's end trying to finish my taxes. Last year I worked at three different places and easily got W-2 forms from two employers in January. But this small family-owned cafe I worked at for about 7 months still hasn't given me my W-2 form! We're almost into March already! When I asked them about it last week, the owner just shrugged and said "the payroll company hasn't sent them to us yet" - they use some company called Paycor for all their payroll. That excuse doesn't sound right to me? I thought employers were supposed to mail these by end of January?? I actually called Paycor directly today and they basically said there's nothing they can do to help me. They can't just give me my W-2 apparently and said I need to go through my employer. I'm super frustrated because I need to file my taxes ASAP. I'm expecting a decent refund from my other jobs and was planning to use it for some urgent car repairs. Is there any way I can get my W-2 without dealing with this unresponsive business? Can I find it online somehow? Or report them? What are my options at this point??
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Connor O'Brien
8 You're right to be concerned - employers are required by law to provide W-2s to employees by January 31st. At this point, you have a few options: First, make one more attempt to contact your former employer. Put your request in writing (email is fine) and specifically mention the January 31st deadline has passed. Sometimes a gentle reminder about legal requirements can motivate them. If that doesn't work, you can contact the IRS directly. Call them at 800-829-1040, and they'll reach out to your employer on your behalf. You'll need to provide your personal info, employer details (name, address, phone), dates of employment, and an estimate of your wages and taxes withheld (check your final pay stub if you have it). As a last resort, you can file Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) with your tax return. You'll need to estimate your wages and withholding as accurately as possible using your final pay stub or other records. Just be aware that filing with estimated information may delay your refund while the IRS verifies the information.
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Connor O'Brien
•15 Thanks for this info! Is there any penalty for the employer who doesn't provide W-2s on time? And if I use that substitute form, would I need to amend my return later when/if I finally get the W-2?
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Connor O'Brien
•8 Yes, employers can face penalties for failing to provide W-2s on time. The IRS can impose penalties of $50-$290 per W-2, depending on how late they are and whether the failure was intentional. Regarding Form 4852, you generally don't need to amend your return if you later receive a W-2 that matches the information you reported. However, if the actual W-2 shows different amounts than what you estimated, you would need to file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to correct the information.
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Connor O'Brien
12 After dealing with a similar situation last year, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was a lifesaver when I was missing documents from a former employer. I used their AI tax assistant to figure out exactly what to do with my missing W-2 situation. The tool walked me through calculating my missing income based on paystubs and told me precisely how to fill out Form 4852. Plus they have document analysis that helps verify if you're using the right information from your paystubs to estimate your taxes correctly.
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Connor O'Brien
•17 How accurate is their paycheck analysis? I've got my last couple paystubs but I'm not 100% sure how to calculate the YTD tax withholding correctly. Does it actually guide you through the math?
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Connor O'Brien
•21 I've heard about AI tax tools but aren't they just glorified calculators? I'm worried about getting audited if I file without an actual W-2. Does this service help with that potential issue?
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Connor O'Brien
•12 Their paycheck analysis is super accurate - you just upload a photo of your paystub and it extracts all the YTD totals automatically. It shows you exactly which numbers to use for the Form 4852, including federal withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. Takes the guesswork out completely. It's definitely more than a calculator. The tool actually uses IRS guidelines to help you properly document that you made reasonable attempts to get your W-2, which helps protect you if there are questions later. They even provide language you can use to explain your situation if the IRS asks questions about your substitute form.
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Connor O'Brien
17 Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after reading about it here, and it was exactly what I needed! I uploaded my last December paystub and it extracted all my YTD totals, helped me fill out the substitute W-2 form, and even generated a letter to send to my former employer documenting my attempts to get the W-2. The whole process took about 20 minutes. I've submitted everything to the IRS now and they've accepted my return with the substitute form. What a relief to finally have this resolved!
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Connor O'Brien
9 If you're still having trouble after trying the IRS route, you might want to check out Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a similar W-2 issue last year and needed to talk to someone at the IRS, but kept getting stuck in hold hell. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 2+ hours I was experiencing before. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. The agent I spoke with was able to confirm they had received income information from my employer even though I hadn't received the W-2, and advised me on exactly what to do next.
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Connor O'Brien
•6 Wait, I'm confused. How does this service actually work? Does it just call the IRS for you or something? I've been trying to get through for days but always give up after being on hold forever.
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Connor O'Brien
•19 This sounds too good to be true. No way they can get through the IRS phone system faster than anyone else. Those lines are government-controlled. What's the catch? I've wasted hours trying to reach someone and I'm skeptical anything could actually help.
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Connor O'Brien
•9 It doesn't call the IRS for you - what it does is hold your place in line. Their system navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold, then when an agent picks up, it calls your phone and connects you directly. So instead of you waiting on hold for hours, their system does the waiting. The technology works because it's essentially doing exactly what you would do - calling and waiting - but their system can handle hundreds of calls simultaneously, and they've optimized the calling patterns to minimize wait times. There's no special "cutting in line" - they're just handling the frustrating part for you so you can go about your day until an agent is actually available.
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Connor O'Brien
19 I have to eat my words and apologize for being so skeptical about Claimyr. After my frustration boiled over last week with more failed attempts to reach the IRS, I decided to try it as a last resort. I was connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes! The agent confirmed they had received W-2 information from my employer (even though the employer claimed they hadn't filed yet), and guided me through filing Form 4852. They even noted in my file that I had made multiple attempts to get the document from my employer. Just got confirmation my return was accepted with the substitute form. Honestly can't believe how much time I wasted trying to do this the "normal" way.
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Connor O'Brien
4 I've been in HR for 15 years and this is unfortunately common with small businesses. They often don't understand their legal obligations or try to cut corners with payroll compliance. One thing to check - do you have access to an online employee portal through Paycor? Many payroll companies have employee self-service where you can download your own W-2 even if the employer hasn't distributed them. Worth asking your former boss if they set that up.
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Connor O'Brien
•7 I had a similar issue and found my W-2 in my Paycor account even though my employer said they "weren't ready yet." How would the original poster know if they have access? Is there a standard login page or something?
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Connor O'Brien
•4 Yes, Paycor has a standard employee self-service portal at secure.paycor.com where employees can log in. If your employer set it up, you would have received an email invitation at some point to create your account. Even former employees typically retain access to their documents for a period after leaving. If you never set up an account, you can try the "forgot password" option using your work email, or call Paycor's employee support line at 800-381-0053 and ask if you have an account associated with your employer. Sometimes they can help reset access if you can verify your identity.
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Connor O'Brien
23 Has anyone actually reported an employer to the IRS for not providing W-2s? I'm curious what happens to them. My girlfriend's boss is doing the same thing to her and 3 other former employees - keeps saying "they're coming" but it's been weeks past the deadline.
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Connor O'Brien
•14 I reported a former employer two years ago. Called the IRS W-2 complaint line, gave all the details, and about 2 weeks later the employer suddenly emailed W-2s to everyone with a very apologetic note. Heard through a friend still working there that they got hit with some decent fines. Definitely worth reporting!
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