Ask Me Help Desk - Missing information

I switched jobs several months ago, but never received my w2. So I called my employer, she said that it was either misplaced or lost and that she would not be able to get another copy. She said the company that handles their payroll, paychex, only gives them one copy for each employee and that in order for her to get another copy of my w2, that she would have to pay $800. She said that paychex does not issue out individual duplicate w2's she would have to get copies for everyone on the payroll in order to get just mine. This is not paychex's mistake, they lost it. She offered to send me a copy of my earnings through whatever software they use in house to keep track of employee information and such. I agreed because at the time I thought all of my information would be present, but then again if it was they wouldn't need paychex. I received the copy of my earnings about a week later. I could see all of my year to date deductions except for the federal withholdings. I called back to ask her why was it missing. Oh and to my surprise she says their in house software does not calculate that paychex does. I even went to hr block and I guess there were no accountants present because I was told they could not complete my tax return without it. I'm not good with this kind of stuff so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

How do you know your employer misplaced it... doesn't paychex mail the paychecks out directly to the people, are you sure you r employer doesn't do that? I know at a previous employer that's how it was done. If they did they would mail those directly as well. Not your employer.

Have you tried to contact Paychex directly yourself?

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Originally Posted by smoothy

How do you know your employer misplaced it....doesn't paychex mail the paychecks out directly to the people, are you sure you r employer doesn't do that? I know at a previous employer thats how it was done. If they did they would mail those directly as well. Not your employer.

Have you tried to contact Paychex directly yourself?

Thank you for your response, I contacted them and they said they can't release any information like that only to the employer with whom they have the account or contract with. They said the employer is the only one who can call to inquire or request information. I worked for this employer for 8 years and w2's were always handed out to us at work in a sealed envelope that you would have to sign and date, that you received your w2. I actually worked in the office for 3 out of those 8 years so I know that paychex sent the w2's directly to them as I would have to sign for it. The actual w2 was sealed so no one could see any personal information except for the employee. In the event you left the job, w2's would be mailed to your last address on file. My ex employer specifically said that it must have gotten lost or misplaced because I never received it, I asked if there was anyway pachex forgot to send mine in with batch. She said no because she's sure she saw it but later admits the mishap could have happened when she got rid of some of the people that worked in the office.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueeyes7000

Thank you for your response, I contacted them and they said they can't release any information like that only to the employer with whom they have the account or contract with. They said the employer is the only one who can call to inquire or request information. I worked for this employer for 8 years and w2's were always handed out to us at work in a sealed envelope that you would have to sign and date, that you received your w2. I actually worked in the office for 3 out of those 8 years so I know that paychex sent the w2's directly to them as I would have to sign for it. The actual w2 was sealed so no one could see any personal information except for the employee. In the event you left the job, w2's would be mailed to your last address on file. My ex employer specifically said that it must have gotten lost or misplaced because I never received it, I asked if there was anyway pachex forgot to send mine in with batch. She said no because she's sure she saw it but later admits the mishap could have happened when she got rid of some of the people that worked in the office.

Ok.. that clarifies a few gray areas.

I got this from the Paychex Website.

http://www.paychex.com/resources/employees/w2-faq.aspx

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Haven't Received Your W-2?

My former employer hasn't sent me my W-2 yet, and Paychex prepared my checks. Can you send me my W-2?

Paychex is unable to provide you with your W-2 for the following reasons:
Our contract is with your employer and we can only take action at the direction of your employer.
The law states that it is the employer's responsibility to provide W-2s to employees.
It's your employer's responsibility to verify that all documents generated by Paychex represent the wages you actually received. Paychex has no way to verify this information.

How can I have my W-2 sent to me?

Our general suggestions are:
Make every attempt to contact your employer.
Try to locate your last pay stub because it could be helpful.
If it's after mid-February, you can contact the IRS for instructions on how to proceed. Use the phone number in your Form 1040 booklet, or call 1-800-829-1040.

The IRS will offer to complete a form and send it to your employer requesting that a W-2 be sent to you. To do this, the IRS will need the following information:
Your name, address, phone number, and social security number.
Your employer's name, address, and phone number.
Dates of your employment within the tax year.
Your year-to-date estimate of wages earned.
Your year-to-date estimate of federal income tax withheld.

If your employer does not respond to this request, the IRS will issue you a substitute Form W-2 based on the information you've provided them. You can then use this form to complete your personal tax return.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothy

Ok..that clarifies a few gray areas.

I got this from the Paychex Website.

Haven't Received Your W-2? | Resources

That is what was sent to me by email and I later called to double check and they confirmed it by phone as well. In order to proceed it states that I will need my federal year to date deductions, this was the information that was missing.To be clear I'm not asking specifically on how I can get my w2 or substitute form but how can I figure out my federal deductions the year I'm filing for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueeyes7000

That is what was sent to me by email and I later called to double check and they confirmed it by phone as well. In order to proceed it states that I will need my federal year to date deductions, this was the information that was missing.To be clear I'm not asking specifically on how I can get my w2 or substitute form but how can I figure out my federal deductions the year I'm filing for.

Do you have your paystubs from the end of the year? They actually have all that inforrmation on them.

The year-end paystubs by themselves can no longer be used to file a tax return. In fact, the IRS sent little "love notes" to tax preparers warning them NOT to do this.

That said, contact your employer and INSIST they provide a copy of your W-2.

If they refuse, contact the IRS and let them call your employer. I suspect your employer's attitude on this matter will change dramatically once she gets that call from the IRS, because she knows the IRS takes a very dim view of employers who fail to provide the W-2s to their employees in a timely manner.

If it costs $800 to get the replacement W-2, so be it. It is THEIR fault they lost the original to begin with.

Frankly, I doubt that it costs $800 to prepare a duplicate W2. But whether it does or not, that's not your problem. Federal law says your employer has to provide on. However the penalties appear to be less than the $800 they claim Paychex requires. What Are the Penalties to Employers for Late W-2s? | Chron.com

I would check with Paychex to see if that is indeed what it costs.

I don't know about Paychex, but my company uses ADP and when I prepared my return (with Turbo Tax) it filled in the W2 info for me. Paychex may offer a similar service.

But, bottom line, you can contact the IRS for the info:
What Is the Law About Sending W-2 Statements? | Chron.com

ScottGem - good idea about using tax prep software, as it may be able to get the W2 info directly from PayChex. But the problem is this - in my experience importing info from my W2 from ADP for security reasons you have to enter certain info from your paper copy of the W2, so that ADP knows it's really you requesting the download. So you can't get W2 data on line without already having the paper copy. Ever read the book "Catch 22?" ;)

To the OP: if the only info you're missing is withholding of federal (and perhaps state) income tax from your wages, your final pay stub for the year should have that information. I get ATE's admonition that it's not "official," but in reality it should be good enough. In my experience whenever I've had a discrepancy between my pay stub and the W2 it's been in the amount of federal wages reported - due to the details of how things like employer-provided life insurance can affect your reported federal wages. But the amount withheld from your pay for taxes should be accurate.

Not sure about your company, I was paid by Paychex for many years and was always able to access my information online with them.

Thank you everyone for your response, I attempted to contact my ex employer once more to see if there is anything she could do. I finally reached her and asked if she could help, she said she would have to put me on hold for a minute and then suddenly the line was disconnected. I immediately called the IRS and they said they would contact her. I wish I would have done it sooner. Thanks again guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueeyes7000

Thank you everyone for your response, I attempted to contact my ex employer once more to see if there is anything she could do. I finally reached her and asked if she could help, she said she would have to put me on hold for a minute and then suddenly the line was disconnected. I immediately called the IRS and they said they would contact her. I wish I would have done it sooner. Thanks again guys.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

All good points fron Fr Chuck, ebaines and Scott. If you (the OP) are preparing the tax return yourself, then using the last paystub from 2012 should work. The prohibition I cited applies to tax pros only.