What happens when an employer misses the W-2 deadline? My husband's company says Feb 8 instead of Jan 31
Title: What happens when an employer misses the W-2 deadline? My husband's company says Feb 8 instead of Jan 31 1 I'm sitting here frustrated because I've got EVERYTHING ready to file our taxes except my husband's W-2. When he checked his employee portal yesterday, it said digital copies won't be available until February 8th, with physical copies being mailed out that same day. But I know for a fact that employers are required to have W-2s out by January 31st! This is the only document I'm waiting on to complete our taxes and I'm getting anxious because I was hoping to file early and get our refund sooner. What's supposed to happen when a company misses this deadline? Are there penalties? Should we report them or just wait the extra week? I'm so annoyed because last year we got our refund within 10 days of filing and I wanted to do the same this year.
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Nalani Liu
12 You're right that employers are required to provide W-2s by January 31st. When companies miss this deadline, they can face penalties from the IRS - the fines start at $50 per late W-2 and increase if they continue to delay. However, from a practical standpoint, I'd recommend waiting until February 8th since it's only about a week past the deadline. If February 8th comes and goes without the W-2 being available, you have a few options. You can contact the company's payroll department directly first. If that doesn't work, you can call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to report the missing W-2, and they can send a notice to the employer. The IRS also allows you to file Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) if you need to file your taxes before receiving the official W-2. You'd need to estimate your husband's wages and withholding based on his final paystub of the year.
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Nalani Liu
•3 This might be a dumb question, but how severe are the penalties? Like, will reporting them to the IRS actually make them hurry up and send the W-2 faster? Or would it just get them in trouble but not actually help me get the document any sooner?
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Nalani Liu
•12 The penalties are meant to encourage compliance, but reporting them doesn't guarantee faster processing. The penalties start at $50 per form for W-2s issued within 30 days of the deadline, then increase to $110 per form for W-2s issued between 31 days and August 1st, and $290 per form for later or never issued W-2s. There are also additional penalties for intentional disregard. When you report them to the IRS, the IRS contacts the employer, which can sometimes prompt them to issue the W-2 more quickly. However, this process itself takes time. If you're only looking at a week's delay as indicated, waiting might be your fastest option. The IRS generally suggests you wait until February 15th before reporting a missing W-2.
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Nalani Liu
7 After waiting THREE MONTHS for my W-2 last year, I discovered taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai and it was a game-changer. I uploaded my final paystub from December, and it analyzed all my income and tax withholdings. The tool gave me accurate figures to use for filing even without the official W-2. When my W-2 finally arrived, the numbers matched almost perfectly with what taxr.ai calculated. The best part was that I could file on time instead of requesting an extension.
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Nalani Liu
•18 Can taxr.ai actually replace a W-2 legally for filing purposes? Or do you still need to use that Form 4852 that the other person mentioned? I'm in a similar situation and wondering if this would work for me.
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Nalani Liu
•9 I'm skeptical about using third-party tools with my financial info. How does taxr.ai ensure that my data stays secure? And what happens if their calculations are wrong and I get audited?
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Nalani Liu
•7 The tool doesn't legally replace your W-2 - you still need to file Form 4852 as a substitute if you don't have your official W-2. What taxr.ai does is analyze your paystubs to give you the accurate numbers to put on that form. Regarding security, they use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents on their servers after analysis. The system is designed to extract the numbers, provide the results, and then discard the original files. As for audit concerns, I've found their calculations to be extremely accurate. In my case, when my W-2 finally arrived, the numbers were within $5 of what taxr.ai had calculated. The tool is designed to follow IRS guidelines for calculating these estimates.
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Nalani Liu
9 Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after posting my skeptical comment above. Was truly surprised by how easy it was. I uploaded my husband's last paystub from December, and within seconds it gave us all the numbers we needed. We filed using Form 4852 with these figures last week, and guess what? His W-2 finally showed up yesterday and the numbers were exactly right! Saved us from waiting another month like we did last year. Wish I'd known about this sooner.
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Nalani Liu
15 After spending HOURS trying to get through to my employer's HR department about my missing W-2, I finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was trying to get through to the IRS to report my employer, but kept getting the dreaded "due to high call volume" message. Claimyr got me past the IRS phone tree and connected to an actual human being within 20 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent was super helpful and started the process to contact my employer about the missing W-2. My employer miraculously found my "lost" W-2 within 48 hours of the IRS contact. Funny how that works!
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Nalani Liu
•22 Wait, I don't get it. Is this a service that just calls the IRS for you? Why would I pay someone else to make a phone call I could make myself? The IRS lines are busy but eventually you get through if you keep trying.
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Nalani Liu
•9 This sounds too good to be true. I've tried calling the IRS dozens of times and never get through. How does this company magically get past the phone queues when millions of Americans can't?
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Nalani Liu
•15 It's not just "making a call for you" - they have a system that continuously calls and navigates the IRS phone tree until it finds an open line, then it calls you and connects you directly when it reaches a real person. I spent three days trying to get through myself before trying this, calling dozens of times each day. The company uses automated technology to essentially wait in the phone queue for you. Think of it like having a digital assistant that sits on hold so you don't have to. When they get a human on the line, they connect you immediately. After trying unsuccessfully for days to reach someone, I was connected within 20 minutes. That's time I got back to spend with my family instead of listening to hold music.
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Nalani Liu
9 I need to eat my words again! After my skeptical comment about Claimyr, I was desperate enough to try it since my employer is now THREE WEEKS late with W-2s. I figured it was worth a shot since nothing else was working. Used the service yesterday afternoon, and I was honestly shocked when my phone rang 15 minutes later with an actual IRS representative on the line! The agent took all my info about the missing W-2 and said they'd contact my employer. This morning I got an apologetic email from HR saying my W-2 has been "expedited" and will be available tomorrow. Unbelievable how quickly things move when the IRS gets involved!
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Nalani Liu
5 Quick question - I'm in the same boat but my employer is claiming they have until February 15th to send W-2s because "that's when the bulk processing happens" and "January 31 is just a soft deadline." Is there any truth to this at all? Sounds like total BS to me but I wanted to check.
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Nalani Liu
•12 That's absolutely incorrect. The January 31st deadline is a hard deadline set by the IRS, not a "soft" one. Employers are required by law to provide W-2s to employees by January 31st, and they must also file copies with the Social Security Administration by this date. The February 15th date your employer mentioned might be getting confused with another tax deadline - that's when the IRS suggests you should follow up if you haven't received your W-2 yet. It's not an extended deadline for employers to issue W-2s. Your employer is providing misinformation. They are already late and potentially subject to penalties. I would recommend politely correcting them by referring to the official IRS guidelines and asking when you can expect to receive your W-2.
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Nalani Liu
•5 Thanks for confirming it's BS! I figured as much but wanted to make sure. I'll forward them the IRS guidelines and see if that helps speed things up. My boss likes to make up his own rules so I'm not surprised.
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Nalani Liu
19 For those considering using Form 4852, just a heads up that it's super important to be as accurate as possible with your estimates. I used it a few years ago and was off by about $800 on my withholding amount (I underestimated). Ended up having to file an amended return when my W-2 finally showed up, which was a hassle. Make sure you have your last paystub from December at minimum!
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Nalani Liu
•3 Does using Form 4852 trigger any kind of audit or extra scrutiny from the IRS? I'm worried about raising red flags.
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