14 Feb W-2 Missing or Not Received – What to do? … If needed file IRS form 4852, Substitute Wage and Tax Statement
You should have received a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from each of your employers by January 31, 2011. If you haven’t received your W-2 yet you should contact your employer(s) or previous employer(s) to inquire if and when the W-2 was mailed. If it was mailed, it may have been returned to the employer because of an incorrect or incomplete address. Remember you still must file your tax return or request an extension to file by April 18, 2011, even if you do not receive your Form W-2. If you have not received your Form W-2 by the due date, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Attach Form 4852 to the return, estimating income and withholding taxes as accurately as possible. Keep in mind there may be a delay in any refund due while the information is verified.
Also on occasion, you may receive your missing W-2 after you filed your return using Form 4852, and the information may be different from what you reported on your return. If this happens, you must amend your return by filing a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.
If you do not receive your W-2 by February 14th, 2011 you may contact the IRS and report this problem. In the correspondence (phone is fine if you can endure the hold music) provide your name, address, city and state, including zip code, Social Security number, phone number employer’s name, address, city and state, including zip code and phone number, dates of employment, and an estimate of the wages you earned, the federal income tax withheld, and when you worked for that employer during 2010. The estimate should be based on year-to-date information from your final pay stub or leave-and-earnings statement.