Online IRS W2 Tax Forms

Eventually you realize that every little thing needs to be documented in order for a large scale industrial society to be successful and accountable. Income tax was levied to support the efforts of the civil war while congress at the time claimed they’d go away once the war was over. They didn’t! Anyways, these days you can easily get IRS W2 tax forms online.

Employers are responsible for sending out W2’s to the IRS to report employee wages and FICA taxes. The W2 is what you get in the mail if you made income from wages or salary just after the end of the year so that you can file your tax return. Many people still file by mail and it’s easy to get nervous waiting for one that hasn’t shown up when you’re ready to file. These days you can opt to receive your W2 electronically which will usually happen much faster than waiting on the snail mail. It doesn’t happen very often but having your personal information flapping in the breeze does make one uneasy in the event of lost mail.

In addition to the above two methods you can opt to find your IRS W2 tax form online. Basically though, you need to gather this sort of information up front from your employer so that you’re not scrambling or wishing you had done something different at the very last minute.

If things get to a point where you feel like you can’t wait anymore then you do have the option to contact the IRS. It’s best that you have your employers EIN (employer identification number) which can sometimes be located on your pay-stub but it’s not completely necessary. You’ll definitely want an estimate of your  wages and withholding amounts, and the dates when you started and ended your employment with the each specific employer.

If you didn’t manage to get your W2’s by April 15th  then there is a last resort method in which you can file the form 4852 as a substitute wage statement. Keep in mind that this is not supposed to be a convenience but simply a last resort if all else fails. Keep in mind that if you file form 4852 then you’ll have to file a paper tax return and you won’t be able to file electronically. Pretty inconvenient indeed.

If you want to learn more about online W2 tax forms, filing online, or filing paper returns then check out TurboTax for more information.