W-2 vs pay stub
A W-2 form is the official tax document your employer provides so you can file your state and federal taxes. A pay stub, on the other hand, shows your earnings, tax withholdings, and deductions for a specific pay period along with year-to-date totals.
Here’s what you’ll find on each document:
W-2
- Box 1: Wages, tips, and other compensation
- Box 2: Federal income tax withheld
- Boxes 3-6: Social Security and Medicare wages and taxes withheld
- Boxes 7-8: Social Security tips and allocated tips
- Boxes 10-14: Other employer-reported items like dependent care benefits and retirement plan contributions
- Boxes 15-20: State and local tax information, including wages and taxes withheld
Pay stub
- Gross pay
- Federal and state withholdings
- Pre-tax deductions, like 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums
- Post-tax deductions, such as Roth IRA contributions and wage garnishments
Box 1 on your W-2 may be lower than your gross pay because certain deductions, such as traditional 401(k) contributions, reduce the wages subject to federal income tax.
What to do if your W-2 is missing
If your W-2 hasn’t arrived, do not attempt to file using your pay stub right away. Instead, follow these steps in order:
- Check your payroll portal: Many companies provide electronic forms through services like ADP, Workday, or Gusto before paper copies arrive.
- Contact your employer: Employers are required to send W-2s by January 31. If you haven’t received it by mid-February, confirm they have your current mailing or email address.
- Contact the IRS after February: If you reached out to your employer and still don’t have your form by the end of February, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. Have your employer’s information, employment dates, and estimated earnings ready. The IRS will contact your employer directly.
- Use Form 4852 as a last resort: If the tax deadline is approaching and all other attempts have failed, you can file a substitute return using Form 4852 and your final pay stub. Note that filing with a substitute form generally requires printing and mailing a paper return, which will significantly delay your refund.
How to use your final pay stub to fill out Form 4852
If you have contacted both your employer and the IRS after February and still cannot obtain your W-2, use the Year-to-Date (YTD) column on your final pay stub to complete Form 4852:
- Taxable wages (Line 7a): Do not automatically copy your “Gross Pay.” Your taxable wages are typically gross earnings minus pre-tax deductions like traditional 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums.
- Federal income tax withheld (Line 7e): Look for federal income tax (often labeled FIT, Fed Tax, or Fed Withholding) in your YTD deductions.
- Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld (Lines 7h & 7i): Locate the YTD amounts deducted for Social Security (FICA-SS or OASDI) on Line 7h, and Medicare (FICA-Med) on Line 7i.
- State and local taxes withheld (Lines 7f & 7g): Enter the state and local taxes withheld along with the name of your state or locality.
- Explain your estimates (Lines 9 & 10): Line 9 asks how you calculated your amounts (explain that you used final pay stub YTD totals). Line 10 asks for the specific steps and dates you took to obtain your missing form from your employer.
What happens if your W-2 arrives later?
If you file Form 4852 and your official W-2 eventually shows up, compare it with the figures you reported. If there are any differences in your wages or taxes withheld, you must amend your return with Form 1040-X.
