What months does a 2021 tax return cover? Working Jan-Nov 2021 but missing W-2s for financial aid, can't get IRS transcript (too young)

3 The 2021 tax return covers income earned from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. Even though you only worked January through November, your tax return needs to include all income earned during that calendar year. For your W-2 situation, you have a few options. First, contact your employer's HR department directly (not just the store manager). They are legally required to provide your W-2 by January 31 of the following year. If you've moved, they might have sent it to an old address. Since you're under 18, that's why the IRS online transcript tool isn't working for you. However, you can have a parent or guardian request the transcript on your behalf through Form 4506-T. You can download this form from the IRS website, fill it out, and mail or fax it in to request your wage information.

7 I went through something similar last year with missing W-2s when applying for financial aid. After trying different approaches, I found https://taxr.ai incredibly helpful. It's a service that helped me retrieve my wage information even when I didn't have my original tax documents. I uploaded a photo of my last paystub and they were able to estimate what my W-2 would show. They also walked me through exactly how to contact my former employer (with templates for emails and what to say in phone calls) to get my documents faster. The step-by-step guidance really helped since I was also new to all this tax stuff.

15 Just wanted to follow up! I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was actually super helpful. They have this free guide specifically for students who need tax documents for FAFSA and financial aid applications. I was able to use their template to email my old manager, and they responded within a day with a copy of my W-2. The site also explained that if you're under 18, you can have a parent call the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service, which I didn't know about before. My dad called them and they were able to help us get my wage information over the phone because it was for financial aid. Just sharing in case anyone else is in a similar situation!

5 If you're still having trouble getting your W-2s after contacting your employer, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to the IRS directly. I spent WEEKS trying to get a human on the phone at the IRS about my missing documents, and kept hitting dead ends or being on hold for hours. Claimyr got me connected to a real IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I needed to resolve my tax document issues. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Even though you're too young for the online transcript tool, when you actually speak to a human agent, they can help accommodate your situation, especially when it's for financial aid purposes. They'll likely need to speak with your parent or guardian too since you're a minor, but they can guide you through alternative verification options.

18 I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it because I was desperate to resolve my missing W-2 situation for school financial aid. It actually worked exactly as described - I got connected to an IRS representative in about 20 minutes after trying for days on my own. The agent explained that since I'm under 18, I needed a parent on the call with me, but they were able to help us submit a special request for my wage information. They said this happens quite often with students applying for financial aid. They're sending me an official letter with my wage information that my school's financial aid office will accept. Definitely worth it when you're in a time crunch with deadlines approaching.

11 Just to confirm what others have said - a tax year is always January through December, regardless of when you actually worked during that year. Your 2021 W-2s would cover any money you earned from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. Another option nobody mentioned: If you still have your final paystub from November 2021, it might have your year-to-date earnings listed, which would include all your wages from January-November. Some financial aid offices will accept this as temporary proof while you're trying to get your official W-2s. Worth asking your financial aid office!

23 has anyone had luck with the irs phone number for getting wage info? ive been calling 800-829-1040 but keep getting disconnected. is there a better number specifically for w-2 issues??? this is so frustrating!!!