Fill Out Form W-2 Online

What is a W-2 form?

Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, is an IRS document that an employer files to report the wages paid to an employee and the taxes withheld from those wages during the year. The employer sends copies to the employee and to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Employees use the W-2 to prepare their income tax return. The version loaded here is the 2026 Form W-2, the template used to report wages paid in the 2026 tax year.

What is a W-2 form used for?

The W-2 ties together what an employee earned and what was already paid in tax. Here is what it does:

• Reports total wages, tips, and other compensation paid during the year.
• Reports federal income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax withheld.
• Reports state and local wages and tax withheld in boxes 15 through 20.
• Gives the employee the figures they need to file an accurate tax return.

What do the boxes on a W-2 mean?

The numbered and lettered boxes each report a specific figure:

• Boxes a to f: the employee's SSN and the employer's EIN, name, and address.
• Box 1: wages, tips, and other taxable compensation.
• Box 2: federal income tax withheld.
• Boxes 3 and 4: Social Security wages and the Social Security tax withheld.
• Boxes 5 and 6: Medicare wages and the Medicare tax withheld.
• Box 12: coded amounts such as retirement contributions, reported with the matching letter code.
• Box 13: checkboxes for statutory employee, retirement plan, and third-party sick pay.
• Boxes 15 to 20: state and local wages, the employer's state ID, and state and local tax withheld.

What information is required?

Before you start, have the following ready:

• The employer's name, address, and Employer Identification Number (EIN).
• The employee's full name, address, and Social Security Number (SSN).
• Total wages, tips, and other compensation paid for the year.
• Federal, Social Security, and Medicare tax withheld.
• Any state and local wages and tax withheld.

How to fill out a W-2

Open the form above and work through it box by box:

• Boxes a to f: enter the employee's SSN and the employer's EIN, name, and address.
• Boxes 1 and 2: enter total taxable wages and the federal income tax withheld.
• Boxes 3 to 6: enter Social Security and Medicare wages and the tax withheld for each.
• Box 12: add any coded amounts with the correct letter code.
• Box 13: check any boxes that apply to the employee.
• Boxes 15 to 20: enter state and local details if they apply.

The editor guides you field by field, so you can review every box before you download.

Who needs to fill one out?

Employers complete a W-2 for each employee they paid during the year. You generally need one when:

• You paid an employee wages, even if no tax was withheld.
• You withheld income, Social Security, or Medicare tax from an employee's pay.
• You need to give an employee a corrected statement.
• You are reconstructing a copy for your own payroll records.

An employee who only receives a W-2 does not fill it out. If you are paid as an independent contractor instead, your client reports your pay on a Form 1099-NEC, not a W-2.

When is a W-2 due?

Employers must furnish each employee with their W-2 and file Copy A with the Social Security Administration by January 31 of the year after the wages were paid. The same January 31 deadline applies whether you file on paper or electronically.

Where to get a blank W-2

A blank, current W-2 is a public-domain document published by the IRS. You can use the official 2026 template loaded on this page, fill it in, and download it without visiting any government site or creating an account.

Understanding the W-2 copies

A W-2 comes in several copies, each going to a different place: Copy A to the Social Security Administration, Copy 1 to the state or local tax department, and Copies B, C, and 2 to the employee for their federal, personal, and state records.

Copy A is printed in red because the official paper version filed with the SSA must be the scannable red-ink form or filed electronically. Use this page to prepare and review the form and to produce the copies you give to employees and keep for your records.

Where to send it

Give the employee copies directly to your employee and keep one for your records. File Copy A with the Social Security Administration, not the IRS, and send any state copy to your state tax department by the deadline.

lumr is not affiliated with the IRS or the SSA. Form W-2 is a public-domain document of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.