How to Obtain a W-2 Without an Employer or the IRS

A W-2 form lists your wages and taxes paid over the course of a year. File your taxes using this important document. You can also use it to prove your income for apartment rentals, financial aid or other income-dependent applications. The best way to get a copy of a W-2 is from the employer that issued the W-2 or from the Internal Revenue Service itself. If neither of those options are available, do a bit of detective work to track down old copies of your W-2 or create a new W-2.

Instructions

1. Go through old copies of your tax returns, if you filed a return with the W-2 for which you are searching. A copy may be affixed to a prior return or may be secured with the return.

2. Contact your accountant. She may have retained a copy of your W-2. Ask her to mail you a copy.

3. Download form 4852 from the IRS.

4. Write your name, Social Security number and address in boxes one, two and three. Include the tax year for which you're creating the W-2 in box four. Check the reason why you're creating a W-2. Write the name of your employer in box five and the tax identification number of your company, if you know it, in box six.

5. Write down your salary and tax information in area seven. Include the name of your state. In area eight, write down any information you have about annuities, pensions and other types of income. Explain how you came to your conclusions in box nine. In area 10, write out how you tried to get your W-2 and why you weren't able to get it.

6. Sign and date the form. Affix it to your tax return.

Tips & Warnings

• Your last pay stub is the most reliable method of determining your year-end salary and taxes withheld.

References

• Bank Rate; What to Do If You Don't Get Your W-2; Kay Bell; Jan. 29, 2008
• IRS: Form 4852
• IRS; Topic 752 - Form W-2 -- Where, When, and How to File; Feb. 7, 2011
• University of Wisconsin: How to Read Form W-2

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• IRS Form 4852