I Need a Copy of a Prior Year W-2, Can You Help?
Many people mistake our site as a chat for the IRS. We are a tax resolution firm helping people solve tax problems. Obtain a copy of a prior year W-2 is an example of something that would not be cost effective for you to hire us to do.
How to Get Copies of Old W-2 Forms
Below are the ways you can obtain a copy of a prior year W-2;
Request the form from the current or past employer
Request a copy from the current or prior employer payroll services provider
Contact the tax preparer that prepared the return of the year you are trying to obtain the W-2 for.
Request a copy from the IRS.
Request a Copy from the Current or Prior Employer
Call the payroll department of your current or former employer. This is the easiest way to get an old W-2 form. Employers are required to save important tax information such as your current and prior-year W-2s
Employers are required to provide employees with a W-2 for the current tax season by January 31. If you have not received your W-2 by this date, or if you have lost or misplaced it, you can contact your employer.
Contact the Payroll Service provider for the Current or Prior Employer
Call your company’s payroll provider. If your employer contracts out payroll duties, ask your boss for the phone number of the company that handles your company’s payroll. You can call this provider and request to have your W-2 mailed to you. Be prepared to provide your Social Security number or employee number.
Make sure to specify the year of the W-2 form that you want to have sent to you.
Make sure the provider has your correct address on file.
While you are speaking to the payroll provider, you may also want to ask how long it will take for your W-2 to arrive.
Contact the Tax Preparer That Prepared the Return for the Year you are Trying to Obtain the W-2
Call your tax preparer. Another way to get a copy of an old W-2 is to contact your tax preparer (if you have one). Be prepared to provide your Social Security number.
Make sure to specify the year of the W-2 form that you want to have sent to you.
Make sure the tax preparer has your correct address on file.
While you are speaking to the tax preparer, you may also want to ask how long it will take for your W-2 to arrive.
Request a copy of the W-2 from the IRS
Request a copy of your W-2 from the IRS. If you cannot obtain your W-2 from your employer or their payroll provider, you can order a copy from the IRS by using the IRS’s “Get Transcript” tool, form 4506 “Request for Copy of Tax Return,” or form 4506-T “Request for Transcript of Tax Return.”
Use the IRS’s “Get Transcript” tool if you only need the information contained in the W-2 and the W-2 you need is less than 10 years old. This service is free of charge.
Use form 4506 if you need your W-2 form and you need other information from that year’s completed taxes. However, you will only receive a copy of your actual W-2 if you paper-filed your taxes that year and submitted a copy of your W-2 at filing. Each copy that you request costs $50.00 with this option.
Use form 4506-T if you only need the information that was on the W-2 and not the actual completed W-2. This option is free of charge.
For additional assistance, call the IRS at 1-800-908-0046.
Below are some things we may be able to help you with that may be cost-effective.
Filing or amending back tax returns to get refunds or stimulus payments
Solving tax problems (Federal or State)
Obtaining an EIN or ITIN number
Filing a US or Non-resident return
I hope I was able to help you. If you found the information helpful, can you take 30 seconds and leave us a quick review? The link below makes it easy
Please Consider Giving Us a Review
Reviews help us to be able to give away our advice for free. Without the value of reviews we would have to charge everyone for the advice.