Need advice for lost W-2?

Question

We moved at the beginning of the year and so I put my W-2's away until I could file. Well in April when I needed them, I could not find them anywhere. Filed an extension and now its October and they are no where. I am afraid they may have been thrown away accidently. I had worked for 2 companies during the year and my husband recieved a 1099 for a retirement withdrawl. Any advice on what to do? Can I have the IRS just figure out my taxes for me??? Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

Your former employers should be able to provide you with copies of your W-2 form and the issuer of the 1099 should be able to provide you with a copy of that. You don't need "originals" to file your taxes. You will usually have to ask for them by mail as they need proof that the information was released to the correct party. When I needed copies from a former employer, I typed and signed a letter, then faxed it to the person responsible for releasing the information. Include your full name, the address they should have on file for you, and your social security number.

If you are unable to get copies from your former employers, the Social Security Administration can provide you with copies for a fee. So can the IRS and your state, however, states usually get their information from the IRS and sometimes the copies may not have all necessary items visible (i.e., the copy the IRS receives may not show state taxes withheld or other deductions not relevant to them).

As an example, I received notice from the state a couple years ago that I owed a significant amount of tax. I hadn't filed a return for that year yet and It turned out that the copy of my W-2 form that they received from the IRS did not show the state tax paid so the state assumed I hadn't paid any state taxes for that year. Of course I had, but I had to retrieve a full copy of my W-2 form to prove it.

Answer 2

Spanking an already abused child is not going have any positive effect on him. As someone who was sexually abused, too, I can say that the abuse leaves a person with a sense of loss of control. No matter how many times you tell the story or what other people tell you, it's a pain that will only heal with time. Of course this isn't an excuse for his behavior and it shouldn't be offered to him as an excuse, but spanking will only make it worse. You need to come to a solid conclusion on a plan and stick with it. Consistency, not the consequence is the most important thing. If you find that grounding him from beloved toys/tv/games works for a little while and then fails when he gets the item(s) back. Make a system where these things are rewards, not something that is taken away for a bit and then returned. A good day at school could earn him an hour of his choice of electronic. A whole week of good behavior earns him a special outing/whatever. When/if you see a positive change in him, point it out to him and let him know you are proud of him. As for the counseling: have you asked around if there is a group counseling option for children who've been sexually assaulted? It might be a good stepping stone for him to see that he's not alone and get some advice/support from people closer to him in age. Of course with children this young there will always be usually at least two adults in the sessions, but it could help.

Answer 3

The best way is to contact your employers and ask for another copy. However, does your employer make pay stubs info available online? Your W-2 info may also be online. Alot of employers are doing this now. If only the pay stub is available complete a form 4852, which can be found at this link: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4852.pdf

More than likely the retirement info will be available online. I do not know anyone who cannot access their retirement account information online. You could print out the statement and attach it and/or complete form 4852. If it's not online, call for a copy of your year end statement.

Here's the advice the IRS gave to herricane survivors who may have lost their W-2s:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4512b.pdf

Another way to do it would be to contact the IRS (after Jan 31 for the year in question). I did this once for a friend who's mom started to lose her memory and misplace paperwork. They sent a list of all the 1099's that had been submitted for her that year.

Answer 4

First I would attempt to contact your former employer they should be able to print you out a copy and mail it to you without a problem. If that is not an option the IRS should have this information on file as well as the Social Security Administration and you should be able to obtain copies and information from them.

One more alternative is if you know how much you were paid you can retieve for "4852" Substitute for Form W2 and use that to file your income taxes... Good Luck...

Answer 5

You can get your IRS issued w-2s and 1099s in 1-2 business days from Accuverify.com

Answer 6

Contact employers and retirement company for duplicate w'2s. Usually Irs frowns on not having required statements.

Answer 7

You will get the necessary information from IRS site at
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=106470,00.html

Answer 8

You should have contacted your employers to get copies of your w-2's. They should be able to supply you with additional copies. I have done that on several occasions. You should also contact IRS to let them know what happened.