As an employee, you can expect your employer to provide you with a W-2 tax form at the beginning of the year, which shall list down the earnings from your previous year’s employment.
There might be times when you need a copy of an old W-2 form from your previous job. So, we should keep copies of all of our tax documents. It only sometimes goes down the right path. In this blog, we will be listing down how easily you can get a copy of your W2 form. So, without further ado, let’s begin!
Reasons to Retrieve Your Old W-2 Form
There are various reasons why you should retrieve your old W-2 form.
Filing Back Tax Returns: The IRS keeps track record of the taxpayers who are required to file their taxes but don’t file their taxes, which might result in the IRS coming after you for not filing the back taxes.
Applying for Loan: While applying for loans, you might be required to show proof of your income for the past few years, which means they might request you to show them your previous year’s W-2 form.
Legal Reasons: You need to document transactions for different types of legal proceedings.
Tracing Income History: You might have to provide your income history for various reasons. You can also view details such as how much you have contributed towards your retirement plan.
How to Get a Copy of the Old W-2 Tax from an Employer?
For this task, you have a couple of functions at your disposal, but before you request them, you have to figure out for which year you need the form and whether you need the W-2 tax form from multiple years. If you’re in touch with your old employer, you may request a copy of your old W-2 tax form from payroll.
If you’re unable to contact your former employer, there is a more easier way to retrieve your W-2 tax form: via the IRS. IRS has had W-2s for the past ten years, so they are likely to have what you need.
Clues for obtaining your W-2 tax form
- To avoid getting in touch with the IRS, save all of your W-2 documents in a secure safe so that you can access them with ease when you need them.
- In case you need a tax professional to complete your taxes, you can contact them.
Conclusion
Keep copies of your W2 tax form in case you need them in the future. If you find one of your W-2 forms missing, you can request it from the IRS via different methods. If you want to generate a W-2 form, use our free W-2 generator and enjoy the benefits of it.