Top 5- Year End W2s

Hello and welcome to another Top 5! This time around, we will be focusing on Year End W2 questions again and covering some of the most asked questions; such as W2 printing, amending W2’s, etc. So make sure to grab your favorite drink and keep reading if you’re interested in hearing more.

Let’s jump in! 

1. Why is my W2 not aligned on pre-printed forms? 

No problem, I'd like to share some steps to help you with the alignment.

When the alignment is off, this can be caused by a variety of reasons. Since all printers are different, many of the troubleshooting steps below require you to have knowledge of your particular printer's setup. If you're unsure of the process, please contact your IT person or the printer manufacturer's tech support directly.

Before we start, please make sure to perform the following:

• Update your QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release.
• Ensure your computer is connected to the printer and that the printer software is installed.
• For specific printing error messages, you may search the QuickBooks Support site for the exact error.

If your printer prints fine outside QuickBooks, then let's proceed with using the Print & PDF Repair Tool from the QuickBooks Tool Hub. This fixes most common printing problems.

You can check Step 3 in this article for the other solution: Resolve printing issues.

Otherwise, reach out to our Payroll Support Team to further investigate what's causing the alignment issue on the preprinted form. Please take note that our support hours for QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, and Plus starts from M-F 6 AM to 6 PM. For Enterprise, we are available any time, any day.

Here's how you can reach out to us:

1. In your QuickBooks Desktop program, go to Help > QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. In the Have a Question window, click the Contact Us link at the bottom.
3. From the Contact Us page, select any topics.
4. Under Here's how to connect with a QuickBooks expert section, click the Start a Message or Get Phone Number button.

2. Am I able to amend a former employee’s address to a current out-of-state address for W2’s? 

I’m glad you asked!

It’s important to note that you will need to call our Payroll Team if you're using an Assisted or Full-Service Payroll subscription.

This is because payroll tax forms are prepared and filed by Intuit on behalf of the business owner. Our Payroll Team should document every change made to the payroll section.

If you're not using any of these plans, you can go ahead and follow these steps to change the employee's address in QuickBooks Online:

1. Go back to the Workers menu and proceed to the Employees tab.
2. Click the name of the employee.
3. Go to the Employee details tab, then click the Pencil icon beside Profile.
4. Change the employee's address.
5. Click Done.

After updating the address, you'll also want to run the Employee Details report to check if the details are already correct. Just go to the Reports menu and look for Employee Details.

This should do it!

3. How can I get my W2’s into EFW2 format? 

EFW2 means electronic W2. We do electronic filing in QuickBooks Online for W2 forms. You can take advantage of it. See the detailed steps in this article: File W-2 forms.

Hope this helps!

4. I had an employee lose her W2, how do I print her a new one in QuickBooks Desktop? 

Thank you for coming to the Community for help. I’m here to help you re-print a copy of your employee’s W2 in QuickBooks Desktop. 

You can pull up the W-2 and print a copy of it by following the steps below:
1.    Go to the Employees menu.
2.    Select Payroll Tax Forms and W-2s, then choose Process Payroll Forms.
3.    Under the File Forms tab, choose the Annual Form W-2/W-3 – Wage and Tax Statement Transmittal and click the Create Form button.
4.    In the File Form window, select the employee’s name and the filing period.
5.    Click Submit Form to continue printing.
6.    Hit the Print/E-file to open the Print W-2 and W-3 Forms window.
7.    Print the Form.

Here’s an article for your reference: Print W-2 and W-3 forms .

You can also make the W-2s available to your employees in QuickBooks Workforce. You just have to select the option Provide employees with secure online access to their W-2 forms on Intuit’s free QuickBooks Workforce site after processing the form in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Your employees will receive an email invite, and they can follow the steps below to access workforce:

1.   Click the link in the notification email from the employer: https://paychecks.intuit.com/?source=qbw2email.
   2.    Choose Sign Up and answer the security questions when prompted.
   3.    Follow the onscreen instructions to create an Intuit account, then sign in.
   4.    View and print your W-2.

For more information, you may refer to this article: Access W-2s in the Workforce.

That should point you in the right direction. 

5. How can I post amounts in W2 Box 14? 

Let’s see how!

The tax tracking type determines how the payroll item appears on tax forms.

Having said that, once a payroll item is correctly set up, the amounts will be posted in the accurate box. To know the items/amounts that will be reported in Box 14: Other, you can reference this article on  W2 form boxes explained.

I also recommend reviewing your payroll settings to ensure the amount will be posted in W-2 Box 14. Here's how you can check this:

1. Click the Gear icon.
2. Go to Payroll Settings.

Once you're ready, you can then go ahead and file the W-2 form.

That wraps up today’s Top 5 questions. I hope you found these Top W-2 questions helpful and got some valuable resources out of them. As always, if you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to ask us here in the Community.  

We’ll be back with more topics!