Contact Employer

• If you do not receive your W-2, contact your employer. Ask when your W-2 was mailed for confirmation of the address it was sent to. The delay could be due to an incorrect address stated on the form. If applicable, give your employer some time to resend or reissue a new W-2 form. You have until April 15 to file your income tax return. In addition, employers are required to keep employment tax records, such as W-2s, for at least four years. Therefore, your employer should have a copy of your W-2 on file.
  
  

Contact the IRS

• Call the IRS for assistance if you do not receive your W-2 by February 16. Give the representative your name, Social Security Number, employment dates, and an estimate of wages earned and income taxes withheld for the year. You can obtain the latter from your final paycheck stub or you can ask your employer for a printout of your annual earnings and deductions. If the W-2 is for a prior tax year, the IRS can send you a free transcript of your W-2, or you may complete Form 4506-T and fax or mail it to the IRS.
  
  

File Tax Return

• If you do not have your W-2 or a transcript from the IRS, you can use Form 4852 as a substitute for your W-2. Consult your last paycheck for your wages and tax withholding or estimate the amounts as best as you can. You must include on the form the attempts you made to obtain your W-2 before resorting to this method. File your tax return via Form 1040 and mail it with Form 4852 to the IRS. Note that this alternative may cause a delay in your tax refund since the IRS has to verify the submitted information.
  
  

Considerations

• If you receive your W-2 after filing your tax return and it differs from what you sent in, file an amended tax return with Form 1040X. If you do not receive your W-2 on time, you can also request an extension from the IRS via Form 4868 by the tax-filing deadline. Keep in mind that obtaining an extension does not prevent you from incurring late filing fees and interest.