Form W-2
Form W-2 is the annual wage and tax statement you give employees and file with the Social Security Administration, reporting wages paid and taxes withheld.
- FORM
- IRS Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement
- WHO FILES
- Employers paying employees for services
- NO FORM?
- Rare: under $2,000 (2026) and no withholding required
- WATCH FOR
- Fixing the pay statement but not the Form W-2
Next due dates
- W-2s and 1099-NEC to workers, SSA and IRS
Moved to the next business day when the date falls on a weekend or bank holiday. See the full compliance calendar
The form reports each employee’s federal, Social Security, and Medicare wages, the tax withheld, and state and local amounts. You file Copy A with the Social Security Administration. Form W-3, the Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, goes with it and totals every Form W-2 you file. Employees get Copies B, C, and 2 to file their own returns. An error found after filing goes on Form W-2c, the Corrected Wage and Tax Statement, sent with Form W-3c.
What does each box report?
Form W-2 figures can differ from gross payGross pay. Gross pay is the total amount an employee earns in a pay period before taxes, benefits, and other deductions are subtracted.Click to open the term and from each other, so the boxes reconcile rather than repeat. Box 1 leaves out pre-tax retirement deferrals and health premiums paid through a qualified Section 125 cafeteria planSection 125 cafeteria plan. A Section 125 cafeteria plan is an IRS-governed plan framework that can allow employees to elect qualifying benefits on a pre-tax basis.Click to open the term. Boxes 3 and 5 add back only the deferrals. Box 3 stops at the Social Security wage base limit. State and local tax departments set how boxes 15 through 20 are completed.
| BOX | WHAT IT REPORTS |
|---|---|
| Box 1 | Wages, tips, and other compensation |
| Box 2 | Federal income tax withheld |
| Boxes 3 and 4 | Social Security wages and the tax withheld |
| Boxes 5 and 6 | Medicare wages and tips, and the tax withheld |
| Box 12 | Coded items, such as 401(k) elective deferrals (code D) |
| Boxes 15-20 | State and local income tax information |
What do you do with it?
A reporting agent or payroll provider can file for you. The responsibility for correct, on-time forms stays yours.
- Furnish Copies B, C, and 2 to each employee by the deadline
- File Copy A with Form W-3 at the Social Security Administration
- E-file once your Forms W-2 and other information returns total 10 or more
- Give a departing employee who asks their copies within 30 days of the request or final wage payment, whichever is later
- Keep a copy of Form W-3 and each Copy A for at least 4 years
- File Form W-2c with Form W-3c as soon as you find an error
- Print Copy A from IRS.gov and file it with the SSA
- Send Copy A of a reissued Form W-2 to the SSA
- Truncate the employee’s Social Security number on Copy A
- Use Form W-2c to report back pay
- Hold employee copies because the SSA filing was extended
Dates that matter
- January 31Employee copies and the SSA filing are due, the year after the wages are paid.
- Next business dayWhen January 31 falls on a weekend or legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
- 30 daysOne extension to file with the SSA, requested on Form 8809 and never automatic.
- Penalty deadline: August 1Filing after this date raises the penalty per 2026 form from $130 to $340.
Frequently asked
- About Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement
- General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026)
- About Form W-2 C, Corrected Wage and Tax Statements
- 26 U.S.C. §6051, Receipts for employees
General information, not legal or tax advice. Apply current federal and state rules with qualified guidance.