What happens if the control number on my W2 (box d) is missing? Can I still file?

Thanks for explaining this! I've always wondered what that box was for. Just to double check - there's no way this could trigger an audit or anything, right? My employer is a small business and sometimes they make mistakes on paperwork.

The missing control number absolutely won't trigger an audit. The IRS is concerned with the accuracy of your income and tax withholding information, not whether your employer used their optional internal tracking number. Small businesses especially might leave this blank as they may not have sophisticated payroll systems that automatically generate these numbers. As long as the income information matches what your employer reports to the IRS (which happens on their end), you're all set.

How accurate is the document scanning? I've tried other tools before and they always mess up reading the numbers correctly.

Does it work for other tax docs too? I have a bunch of 1099s this year and one of them looks kind of suspicious.

The scanning is surprisingly accurate - way better than other tools I've tried. It uses some kind of AI technology that can even read slightly blurry documents. I uploaded a photo I took with my phone and it got everything right. It definitely works with 1099s and pretty much all tax forms. I had a 1099-MISC and a 1099-K last year along with my W2, and it analyzed all of them. It can spot when information doesn't match up or if something important is missing.

Wait, how does this actually work? The IRS phone lines are impossible to get through. Is this some kind of premium line or something?

Sounds like a scam tbh. Nobody can get through to the IRS that fast. I've tried calling for weeks before.

It works by using technology that continuously redials and navigates the IRS phone system for you, then calls you when it gets a human on the line. It's essentially doing the waiting for you so you don't have to sit on hold for hours. It's not a premium line - it connects you to the regular IRS number, just does the hard part for you. I was skeptical at first too! But it's legitimate - they don't access any of your personal information and they don't interact with the IRS on your behalf. They just connect the call and then you speak directly with the IRS agent. I was honestly shocked at how well it worked after spending days trying to call myself.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! Feel a lot better about submitting my return now. Does anyone know why some employers use control numbers and others don't? Just curious about what purpose they actually serve.

Control numbers are mainly used by larger companies with lots of employees as an internal tracking system. They help payroll departments organize and verify all the W2s they've issued. They can also be useful if an employee needs a replacement W2 - the control number makes it easier to locate the exact record in their system. Small businesses often don't bother with them because they're not managing thousands of tax forms, so there's less need for that extra layer of organization. Some payroll software automatically generates them, while other systems leave it optional.

This is good advice. My employer once transposed two numbers in my federal withholding amount and it was a huge headache to fix after I filed. Always double check everything!

Thanks for the insider perspective! It's really helpful to hear from someone who actually handles payroll. Quick question - when you said "if we accidentally leave it blank one year" - does that mean it's pretty common for employers to sometimes forget to include it? I'm wondering if my employer just overlooked it or if they intentionally don't use control numbers at all.

It can happen both ways! Some employers (especially smaller ones) intentionally don't use control numbers because their payroll system doesn't generate them automatically, or they just don't see the need for the extra tracking. Others might normally include them but occasionally forget to populate that field when preparing W2s - it's not uncommon during busy tax season when payroll departments are rushing to get everything out on time. Since it's not required, it's usually not caught in quality checks. Either way, it won't impact your filing at all!