IRS Form W-2 Guide for 2023 (TY2022)

It is important that you know what information you need before you begin preparing Form W-2. We’ve compiled the following 4 key topics in our Form W-2 Guide that may help you to correctly and timely complete your filing.

What’s new for Form W-2?

  • Maximum penalties have increased for tax year 2023.
  • The paper filing form count threshold was lowered to 10 forms total.
  • The SSA increased the social security wages limited, so some box limits have changed:
    • Box 3 and Box 7 total should not exceed $160,200
    • Box 4 should not exceed $9,932.40

Form W-2 Guide – Key Topics

Our Form W-2 guide identifies 4 key topics that will help you get started with your filing.

Determine Who Must Receive a Form W-2

The IRS instructs that a W-2 form much be completed and filed for each employee who, in the past year, you have made payments to for their services in your trade or business.

Gather Information to Prepare Form W-2

Before you begin preparing Form W-2, you will need to gather the tax information for the business(es) and employees you are filing for, including their name, address, tax identification numbers (TINs), and amounts paid to the employees.

Check for Accuracy

In order to avoid potential penalties, it is important to take the time to review and verify the information to be reported on your W-2 forms for accuracy before filing and distributing.

Tools such as TINCorrect can help you verify tax identification numbers for payers and employees in advance.

File and Distribute

Form W-2 is a multi-part form that requires copies to be distributed to several parties, including the IRS, employee and, if applicable, a state tax department.

Deadlines

As a best practice, we recommend getting started on your filings as early as possible. This ensures that you have ample time to collect the required information, complete the necessary forms, and verify the information for possible typos and other errors.

The IRS filing season 2023 Form W-2 deadlines for tax year 2022 are as follows:

2023 Form W-2 Deadlines Date
Paper File Deadline January 31, 2024
Recipient Copy / Furnishing Deadline January 31, 2024
E-file Deadline January 31, 2024
Form W-2 Guide – Filing Season 2023 Deadlines


Please note that these are just the federal deadlines. Please verify with your state for any state W-2 filing requirements and the proper submission methods.

Conclusion

Use this Form W-2 Guide along with our Essential Guide and become a master at your W-2 filing. You can also download our W-2 Essential Guide as a PDF to keep with you offline.

BoomTax, The Boom Post, and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors prior to engaging in any transaction.

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