Wage and Tax Statements W-2/W-3 series

2017

General Instructions for
Forms W-2 and W-3

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

(Including Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, W-2VI, W-3SS, W-2c, and W-3c)
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code
unless otherwise noted.
Contents
Future Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What's New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Need Help? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How To Get Forms and Publications . . . . . . . .
Common Errors on Forms W-2 . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 . .
Special Reporting Situations for Form W-2 . . . .
Penalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specific Instructions for Form W-2 . . . . . . . . . .
Specific Instructions for Form W-3 . . . . . . . . . .
General Instructions for Forms W-2c and W-3c .
Special Situations for Forms W-2c and W-3c . .
Specific Instructions for Form W-2c . . . . . . . . .
Specific Instructions for Form W-3c . . . . . . . . .
Form W-2 Reference Guide for Box 12 Codes .
Form W-2 Box 13 Retirement Plan Checkbox
Decision Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Reporting
Example Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Future Developments

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For the latest information about developments related to
Forms W-2 and W-3 and their instructions, such as
legislation enacted after they were published, go to
IRS.gov/w2.

What's New
New box 12 Code FF. A new box 12 Code FF has been
added to report the total amount of permitted benefits
under a qualified small employer health reimbursement
arrangement (QSEHRA). These new QSEHRAs allow
eligible employers to pay or reimburse medical care
expenses of eligible employees after the employees
provide proof of coverage. The maximum reimbursement
for an eligible employee under a QSEHRA is $4,950
($10,000 if it also provides reimbursements for family
members), before indexing for inflation. For more
information, see the 21st Century Cures Act, Public Law
114–255, Division C, Section 18001.
Leave-based donation programs to aid victims of the
severe storms and flooding in Louisiana. Under these
programs, employees may donate their vacation, sick, or
personal leave in exchange for employer cash payments
made before January 1, 2018, to qualified tax-exempt
May 02, 2017

organizations providing relief for the victims of the severe
storms and flooding in Louisiana that began on August 11,
2016. The donated leave will not be included in the
income or wages of the employee. The employer may
deduct the cash payments as business expenses or
charitable contributions. For more information, see Notice
2016-55, 2016-40 I.R.B. 432, available at IRS.gov/irb/
2016-40_IRB/ar08.html.
Leave-based donation programs to aid victims of
Hurricane Matthew. Under these programs, employees
may donate their vacation, sick, or personal leave in
exchange for employer cash payments made before
January 1, 2018, to qualified tax-exempt organizations
providing relief for the victims of Hurricane Matthew. The
donated leave will not be included in the income or wages
of the employee. The employer may deduct the cash
payments as business expenses or charitable
contributions. For more information, see Notice 2016-69,
2016-51 I.R.B. 832, available at IRS.gov/irb/2016-51_IRB/
ar11.html.
Federal employers in the CNMI. The U.S. Treasury
Department and the CNMI Division of Revenue and
Taxation entered into an agreement under 5 U.S.C. 5517
(“5517 agreement”) in December 2006. Under this
agreement, all federal employers (including the
Department of Defense) are required to withhold CNMI
income taxes, rather than federal income taxes, and
deposit the CNMI taxes with the CNMI Treasury for
employees who are subject to CNMI taxes and whose
regular place of federal employment is in the CNMI. New
guidance for completing Forms W-2 for these employees
is available at IRS.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/
special-withholding-rules-for-us-federal-agencyemployers-with-employees-in-cnmi-or puerto-rico. See
also Federal employers in the CNMI, later, for additional
information.
Penalties increased. Failure to file and failure to furnish
penalties and penalties for intentional disregard of filing
and payee statement requirements have increased due to
adjustments for inflation. The higher penalty amounts
apply to returns required to be filed after December 31,
2017. See Penalties for more information.
De minimis error safe harbor. Notice 2017-9, 2017-4
I.R.B. 542, available at IRS.gov/irb/2017-04_IRB/
ar11.html, provides new information regarding the de
minimis error safe harbor. See Exceptions to the penalty,
later.

Reminders
Due date for filing with SSA. The due date for filing
2017 Forms W-2, W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, W-2VI, W-3,

Cat. No. 25979S

regardless of legal residence. Two individuals who enter
into a relationship denominated as marriage under the
laws of a foreign jurisdiction are recognized as married for
federal tax purposes if the relationship would be
recognized as marriage under the laws of at least one
state, possession, or territory of the United States,
regardless of legal residence. Individuals who have
entered into a registered domestic partnership, civil union,
or other similar relationship that is not recognized as a
marriage under the law of the state, possession, or
territory of the United States where such relationship was
entered into are not considered married for federal tax
purposes, regardless of legal residence.
Notice 2013-61 provides special administrative
procedures for employers to make claims for refunds or
adjustments of overpayments of social security and
Medicare taxes with respect to certain same-sex spouse
benefits before expiration of the period of limitations.
Notice 2013-61, 2013-44 I.R.B. 432 is available at
IRS.gov/irb/2013-44_IRB/ar10.html.

and W-3SS with the SSA is January 31, 2018, whether
you file using paper forms or electronically.
Extensions of time to file. Extensions of time to file
Form W-2 with the SSA are no longer automatic. You may
request one 30-day extension to file Form W-2 by
submitting a complete application on Form 8809,
Application for Extension of Time to File Information
Returns, including a detailed explanation of why you need
additional time and signed under penalties of perjury. The
IRS will only grant the extension in extraordinary
circumstances or catastrophe. See Extension of time to
file Forms W-2 with the SSA for more information. This
does not affect extensions of time to furnish Forms W-2 to
employees. See Extension of time to furnish Forms W-2 to
employees for more information.
Get it done faster...

TIP E-file your Forms W-2 and W-2c with the SSA.
See E-filing.

Rejected wage reports from the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA will reject Form W-2
electronic and paper wage reports under the following
conditions:
Medicare wages and tips are less than the sum of
social security wages and social security tips,
Social security tax is greater than zero; social security
wages and social security tips are equal to zero, and
Medicare tax is greater than zero; Medicare wages and
tips are equal to zero.
Additionally, Forms W-2 and W-2c electronic and
paper wage reports for household employers will be
rejected under the following conditions:
The sum of social security wages and social security
tips is less than the minimum yearly earnings subject to
social security and Medicare tax withholding for a
household employee, and
The Medicare wages and tips are less than the
minimum yearly earnings subject to social security and
Medicare tax withholding for a household employee.
If the above conditions occur in an electronic wage
report, the SSA will notify the submitter by email or postal
mail to correct the report and resubmit it to the SSA. If the
above conditions occur in a paper wage report, the SSA
will notify the employer by email or postal mail to correct
the report and resubmit it to the SSA.
Note. Do not write “corrected” or “amended” on any
resubmitted reports.
Household employers, see Pub. 926, Household
Employer's Tax Guide.

Limit on health flexible spending arrangement (FSA).
For 2017, a cafeteria plan may not allow an employee to
request salary reduction contributions for a health FSA in
excess of $2,600. The salary reduction contribution
limitation of $2,600 does not include any amount (up to
$500) carried over from a previous year. For more
information, see Health flexible spending arrangement
(FSA).
Additional Medicare Tax. In addition to withholding
Medicare tax at 1.45%, an employer is required to
withhold a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on any Federal
Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) wages or Railroad
Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) compensation it pays to an
employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. An
employer is required to begin withholding Additional
Medicare Tax in the pay period in which it pays wages or
compensation in excess of $200,000 to an employee and
continue to withhold it until the end of the calendar year.
Additional Medicare Tax is only imposed on the
employee. There is no employer share of Additional
Medicare Tax. All wages and compensation that are
subject to Medicare tax are subject to Additional Medicare
Tax withholding if paid in excess of the $200,000
withholding threshold.
For more information on Additional Medicare Tax, go to
IRS.gov and enter “Additional Medicare Tax” in the search
box.
Unless otherwise noted, references to Medicare tax
include Additional Medicare Tax.

Social security numbers. Do not truncate social
security numbers shown on Forms W-2, W-2AS, W-2GU,
and W-2VI. Social security numbers are required on
Forms W-2. See Taxpayer identification numbers, later.
See also Regulations section 301.6109-4(b)(2).
Filers of other forms, such as certain Forms 1099/1098,
may truncate the social security number (XXX-XX-1234)
to combat identity theft.

Medicaid waiver payments. Notice 2014-7 provides
that certain Medicaid waiver payments are excludable
from income for federal income tax purposes. See Notice
2014-7, 2014-4 I.R.B. 445 available at IRS.gov/irb/
2014-4_IRB/ar06.html. Also, see IRS.gov/Individuals/
Certain-Medicaid-Waiver-Payments-May-Be-ExcludableFrom-Income for questions and answers on the notice.
Business Services Online (BSO). The SSA has
enhanced its secure BSO website to make it easier to
register and navigate. Use BSO’s online fill-in forms to
create, save, and submit Forms W-2 and W-2c to the SSA
electronically. BSO lets you print copies of these forms to

Same-sex marriage. A marriage of two individuals is
recognized for federal tax purposes if the marriage is
recognized by the state, possession, or territory of the
United States in which the marriage is entered into,
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Form W-2 to employees electronically, for additional
information.

file with state or local governments, distribute to your
employees, and keep for your records. BSO generates
Form W-3 automatically based on your Forms W-2. You
also can use BSO to upload wage files to the SSA, check
on the status of previously submitted wage reports, and
take advantage of other convenient services for
employers and businesses. Visit the SSA’s Employer W-2
Filing Instructions & Information website at SSA.gov/
employer for more information about using BSO to save
time for your organization. Here you also will find forms
and publications used for wage reporting, information
about verifying employee social security numbers online,
how to reach an SSA employer services representative for
your region, and more.

E-filing. The SSA encourages all employers to e-file.
E-filing can save you time and effort and helps ensure
accuracy. You must e-file if you are required to file 250 or
more Forms W-2 or W-2c. If you are required to e-file but
fail to do so, you may incur a penalty.
Waiver from e-filing. You can request a waiver from
this requirement by filing Form 8508, Request for Waiver
From Filing Information Returns Electronically. Submit
Form 8508 to the IRS at least 45 days before the due date
of Form W-2, or 45 days before you file your first Form
W-2c. See Form 8508 for information about filing this
form.
The SSA’s BSO website makes e-filing easy by
providing two ways to submit your Forms W-2 or W-2c
Copy A and Forms W-3 or W-3c information.
If you need to file 50 or fewer Forms W-2 or 25 or fewer
Forms W-2c at a time, you can use BSO to create them
online. BSO guides you through the process of creating
Forms W-2 or W-2c, saving and printing them, and
submitting them to the SSA when you are ready. You do
not have to wait until you have submitted Forms W-2 or
W-2c to the SSA before printing copies for your
employees. BSO generates Form W-3 or W-3c
automatically based on your Forms W-2 or W-2c.
If you need to file more than 50 Forms W-2 or more
than 25 Forms W-2c, BSO’s “file upload” feature might be
the best e-filing method for your business or organization.
To obtain file format specifications, visit the SSA’s
Employer W-2 Filing Instructions & Information website at
SSA.gov/employer, select “Publications & Forms,” click on
“Specifications for Filing Forms W-2 and W-2c
Electronically (EFW2/EFW2C),” and select the
appropriate document. This information is also available
by calling the SSA’s Employer Reporting Service Center
at 1-800-772-6270 (toll free).

Preview BSO by viewing a brief online tutorial. Go

TIP to SSA.gov/employer and select “Business

Services Online Tutorial” under “Handbooks,
Tutorials & Videos.”
Correcting wage reports. You can use BSO to
create, save, print, and submit Forms W-2c, Corrected
Wage and Tax Statement, online for the current year as
well as for prior years. After logging into BSO, navigate to
the Electronic Wage Reporting home page and click on
the “Forms W-2c/W-3c Online” tab. Also, see E-filing and
E-filing Forms W-2c and W-3c.
Tax relief for victims of terrorist attacks. Disability
payments for injuries incurred as a direct result of a
terrorist attack directed against the United States (or its
allies) are not included in income. Because federal
income tax withholding is only required when a payment is
includable in income, no federal income tax should be
withheld from these payments.
Distributions from governmental section 457(b)
plans of state and local agencies. Generally, report
distributions from section 457(b) plans of state and local
agencies on Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions,
Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs,
Insurance Contracts, etc. See Notice 2003-20 on
page 894 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2003-19 at
IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb03-19.pdf.

!

CAUTION

For more information about e-filing Forms W-2 or W-2c
and a link to the BSO website, visit the SSA’s Employer
W-2 Filing Instructions & Information website at SSA.gov/
employer.

Earned income credit (EIC) notice (not applicable to
Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, and W-2VI). You must
notify employees who have no income tax withheld that
they may be able to claim an income tax refund because
of the EIC. You can do this by using the official Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-2 with the EIC notice on
the back of Copy B or a substitute Form W-2 with the
same statement. You must give your employee Notice
797, Possible Federal Tax Refund Due to the Earned
Income Credit (EIC), or your own statement that contains
the same wording if (a) you use a substitute Form W-2
that does not contain the EIC notice, (b) you are not
required to furnish Form W-2, or (c) you do not furnish a
timely Form W-2 to your employee. For more information,
see section 10 in Pub. 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax
Guide.

In a few situations, reporting instructions vary
depending on the filing method you choose. For example,
you can include every type of box 12 amount in one
employee wage record if you upload an electronic file. If
you file on paper or create Forms W-2 online, you can
include only four box 12 amounts per Form W-2. See the
TIP for Box 12—Codes under Specific Instructions for
Form W-2.
Form 944. Use the “944” checkbox in box b of Form W-3
or Form W-3SS if you filed Form 944, Employer's
ANNUAL Federal Tax Return. Also use the “944”
checkbox if you filed Formulario 944(SP), the
Spanish-language version of Form 944.

Electronic statements for employees. Furnishing
Copies B, C, and 2 of Forms W-2 to your employees
electronically may save you time and effort. See Pub.
15-A, Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide, Furnishing
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

If you e-file, do not file the same returns using
paper forms.

Forms W-2 for U.S. possessions. In these instructions,
reference to Forms W-2 and W-3 includes Forms W-2AS,
W-2CM, W-2GU, W-2VI, and W-3SS, unless otherwise
noted. These instructions are not applicable to wage and
-3-

section 15 of Pub. 15 (Circular E), severance payments
are also subject to income tax withholding and FUTA tax.

tax statements for Puerto Rico. Form W-2AS is used to
report American Samoa wages paid by American Samoa
employers, Form W-2CM is used to report the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
wages paid by CNMI employers, Form W-2GU is used to
report Guam wages paid by Guam employers, and Form
W-2VI is used to report U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) wages
paid by USVI employers. Do not use these forms to report
wages subject to U.S. income tax withholding. Instead,
use Form W-2 to show U.S. income tax withheld.

Substitute forms. You may use an acceptable substitute
form instead of an official IRS form.
Form W-2. If you are not using the official IRS form to
furnish Form W-2 to employees or to file with the SSA,
you may use an acceptable substitute form that complies
with the rules in Pub. 1141, General Rules and
Specifications for Substitute Forms W-2 and W-3. Pub.
1141 is a revenue procedure that explains the
requirements for format and content of substitute Forms
W-2 and W-3. Your substitute forms must comply with the
requirements in Pub. 1141.
Pub. 1141 prohibits advertising on Form W-2. You must
not include advertising on any copy of Form W-2,
including coupons providing discounts on tax preparation
services attached to the employee copies. See Pub. 1141
for further information.
Form W-2c. If you are not using the official IRS form to
furnish Form W-2c to employees or to file with the SSA,
you may use an acceptable substitute form that complies
with the rules in Pub. 1223, General Rules and
Specifications for Substitute Forms W-2c and W-3c. Pub.
1223 is a revenue procedure that explains the
requirements for format and content of substitute Forms
W-2c and W-3c. Your substitute forms must comply with
the requirements in Pub. 1223.
Pub. 1223 prohibits advertising on Form W-2c. You
must not include advertising on any copy of Form W-2c,
including coupons providing discounts on tax preparation
services attached to the employee copies. See Pub. 1223
for further information.

Treatment of military differential pay. Employers
paying their employees while they are on active duty in the
United States uniformed services should treat these
payments as wages subject to income tax withholding.
See Military differential pay under Special Reporting
Situations for Form W-2.
Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA). You
may be required to report wages and taxes on a form
different from the form you generally use if an employee
claims residence or domicile under MSRRA in a different
jurisdiction in one of the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
Under MSRRA, the spouse of an active duty
servicemember (civilian spouse) may keep his or her prior
residence or domicile for tax purposes (tax residence)
when accompanying the servicemember spouse, who is
relocating under military orders, to a new military duty
station in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or
a U.S. possession. Before relocating, both spouses must
have had the same tax residence.
For example, if a civilian spouse is working in Guam but
properly claims tax residence in one of the 50 states
under MSRRA, his or her income from services would not
be taxable income for Guam tax purposes. Federal
income taxes should be withheld and remitted to the IRS.
State and local income taxes may need to be withheld
and remitted to state and local tax authorities. You should
consult with state, local, or U.S. possession tax authorities
regarding your withholding obligations under MSRRA.

Need Help?
Help with e-filing. If you have questions about how to
register or use BSO, call 1-800-772-6270 (toll free) to
speak with an employer reporting technician at the SSA.
The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. If you experience
problems using any of the services within BSO, call
1-888-772-2970 (toll free) to speak with a systems
operator in technical support at the SSA. To speak with
the SSA's Employer Services Liaison Officer (ESLO) for
the U.S. Virgin Islands, call 1-212-264-1462 (not a toll-free
number). For Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, or American Samoa, call
1-510-970-8247 (not a toll-free number). For all other
employers, contact the ESLO that services your region.
For a complete telephone listing, visit the SSA’s Employer
W-2 Filing Instructions & Information website at SSA.gov/
employer.

Nonqualified deferred compensation plans. You are
not required to complete box 12 with code Y (Deferrals
under a section 409A nonqualified deferred compensation
plan). Section 409A provides that all amounts deferred
under a nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plan
for all tax years are includible in gross income unless
certain requirements are satisfied. See Nonqualified
deferred compensation plans under Special Reporting
Situations for Form W-2 and the Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation Reporting Example Chart.

Information reporting customer service site. The IRS
operates a centralized customer service site to answer
questions about reporting on Forms W-2, W-3, 1099, and
other information returns. If you have questions about
reporting on these forms, call 1-866-455-7438 (toll free).

Reporting the cost of group health insurance coverage. You must report the cost of employer-sponsored
health coverage in box 12 using code DD. However,
transitional relief applies to certain employers and certain
types of plans. For more information, see Box 12—Codes
for Code DD—Cost of employer-sponsored health
coverage.

TTY/TDD equipment. Telephone help is available using
TTY/TDD equipment for persons who are deaf, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability. If you have questions
about reporting on information returns (Forms 1096, 1097,

Severance payments. Severance payments are wages
subject to social security and Medicare taxes. As noted in
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Make entries that are too small or too large. Use
12-point Courier font, if possible.
Add dollar signs to the money-amount boxes. They
have been removed from Copy A and are not required.
Inappropriately check the “Retirement plan” checkbox
in box 13. See Retirement plan.
Misformat the employee's name in box e. Enter the
employee's first name and middle initial in the first box, his
or her surname in the second box, and his or her suffix
(such as “Jr.”) in the third box (optional).
Cut, fold, or staple Copy A paper forms mailed to SSA.

1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498, W-2, W-2G, and W-3), call
1-304-579-4827.
Employment tax information. Detailed employment tax
information is given in:
Pub. 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide,
Pub. 15-A, Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide,
Pub. 15-B, Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits,
Pub. 51 (Circular A), Agricultural Employer's Tax Guide,
and
Pub. 80 (Circular SS), Federal Tax Guide for Employers
in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
You also can call the IRS with your employment tax
questions at 1-800-829-4933 or visit IRS.gov and type
“employment taxes” in the search box.

General Instructions for Forms
W-2 and W-3
Who must file Form W-2. You must file Form(s) W-2 if
you have one or more employees to whom you made
payments (including noncash payments) for the
employees’ services in your trade or business during
2017.
Complete and file Form W-2 for each employee for
whom any of the following applies (even if the employee is
related to you).
You withheld any income, social security, or Medicare
tax from wages regardless of the amount of wages; or
You would have had to withhold income tax if the
employee had claimed no more than one withholding
allowance or had not claimed exemption from withholding
on Form W-4; or
You paid $600 or more in wages even if you did not
withhold any income, social security, or Medicare tax.
Only in very limited situations will you not have to file
Form W-2. This may occur if you were not required to
withhold any income tax, social security tax, or Medicare
tax and you paid the employee less than $600, such as for
certain election workers and certain foreign agricultural
workers. See Election workers and Foreign agricultural
workers, later.
Unless otherwise noted, references to Medicare tax
include Additional Medicare Tax.
If you are required to file 250 or more Forms W-2 or
want to take advantage of the benefits of e-filing, see
E-filing.

How To Get Forms and Publications
Internet. You can access IRS.gov 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week to:
Download, view, and order tax forms, instructions, and
publications.
Access commercial tax preparation and e-file services.
Research your tax questions online.
See answers to frequently asked tax questions.
Search publications online by topic or keyword.
View Internal Revenue Bulletins published in the last
few years.
Sign up to receive local and national tax news by email.
You can order forms, instructions, and publications at
IRS.gov/orderforms. For any other tax information, go to
IRS.gov/uac/tax-law-questions.
Do not print Copy A of Forms W-2, W-3, W-2c, or
W-3c from IRS.gov and then file them with the
CAUTION SSA. The SSA accepts only e-filed reports and
the official red-ink versions (or approved substitute
versions) of these forms. For more information about
acceptable substitute versions, see Substitute forms. For
information about e-filing, see E-filing.

!

Mail. You can send your order for forms, instructions, and
publications to the following address. You should receive
a response within 10 days after your request is received.
Internal Revenue Service
1201 N. Mitsubishi Motorway
Bloomington, IL 61705-6613

Who must file Form W-3. Anyone required to file Form
W-2 must file Form W-3 to transmit Copy A of Forms W-2.
Make a copy of Form W-3, keep it and Copy D (For
Employer) of Forms W-2 with your records for 4 years. Be
sure to use Form W-3 for the correct year. If you are filing
Forms W-2 electronically, also see E-filing.
Household employers. Even employers with only one
household employee must file Form W-3 to transmit Copy
A of Form W-2. On Form W-3 check the “Hshld. emp.”
checkbox in box b. For more information, see Schedule H
(Form 1040), Household Employment Taxes, and its
separate instructions. You must have an employer
identification number (EIN). See Box b—Employer
identification number (EIN).

Common Errors on Forms W-2

Forms W-2 provide information to your employees, the
SSA, the IRS, and state and local governments. Avoid
making the following errors, which cause processing
delays.
Do not:
Download Copy A of Forms W-2, W-2AS, W-2GU,
W-2VI, W-3SS, or Form W-3 from IRS.gov and file with
SSA.
Omit the decimal point and cents from entries.
Make entries using ink that is too light. Use only black
ink.

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Who may sign Form W-3. A transmitter or sender
(including a service bureau, reporting agent, paying agent,
or disbursing agent) may sign Form W-3 (or use its PIN to
-5-

e-file) for the employer or payer only if the sender satisfies
both of the following.
It is authorized to sign by an agency agreement
(whether oral, written, or implied) that is valid under state
law; and
It writes “For (name of payer)” next to the signature
(paper Form W-3 only).

Do not send cash, checks, money orders, or
other forms of payment with the Forms W-2
CAUTION and W-3 that you submit to the SSA.
Employment tax forms (for example, Form 941 or Form
943), remittances, and Forms 1099 must be sent to the
IRS.

Use of a reporting agent or other third-party
payroll service provider does not relieve an
CAUTION employer of the responsibility to ensure that
Forms W-2 are furnished to employees and that Forms
W-2 and W-3 are filed with the SSA, correctly and on time.
See Penalties for more information.

Copy 1. Send Copy 1 of Form W-2, if required, to your
state, city, or local tax department. For more information
concerning Copy 1 (including how to complete boxes 15
through 20), contact your state, city, or local tax
department.
American Samoa. File Copy 1 of Form W-3SS and
Forms W-2AS at the following address.

!

!

Be sure that the payer's name and EIN on Forms W-2 and
W-3 are the same as those used on the Form 941,
Employer's QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return; Form 943,
Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural
Employees; Form 944; Form CT-1, Employer's Annual
Railroad Retirement Tax Return; or Schedule H (Form
1040) filed by or for the payer.

American Samoa Tax Office
Executive Office Building
First Floor
Pago Pago, AS 96799
Guam. File Copy 1 of Form W-3SS and Forms W-2GU
at the following address.

When to file. Mail or electronically file Copy A of Form(s)
W-2 and Form W-3 with the SSA by January 31, 2018.
You may owe a penalty for each Form W-2 that you file
late. See Penalties. If you terminate your business, see
Terminating a business.
Extension of time to file Forms W-2 with the SSA.
You may request only one extension of time to file Form
W-2 with the SSA by submitting a complete application on
Form 8809, Application for Extension of Time To File
Information Returns. Include a detailed explanation of why
you need additional time. You must sign the application
under penalties of perjury. Send the application to the
address shown on Form 8809. You must request the
extension before the due date of Forms W-2. If the IRS
grants your request for extension, you will have an
additional 30 days to file. The IRS will grant extensions to
file Forms W-2 only in limited cases for extraordinary
circumstances or catastrophe, such as a natural disaster
or fire destroying the books and records needed for filing
the forms. No additional extension of time to file will be
allowed. See Form 8809 for details.

Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation
P.O. Box 23607
GMF, GU 96921
For additional information about Form W-2GU, see
guamtax.com.
United States Virgin Islands. File Copy 1 of Form
W-3SS and Forms W-2VI at the following address.
Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue
6115 Estate Smith Bay
Suite 225
St. Thomas, VI 00802
For additional information about Form W-2VI, see
vibir.gov.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
File Form OS-3710 and Copy 1 of Forms W-2CM at the
following address.
Division of Revenue and Taxation
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
P.O. Box 5234 CHRB
Saipan, MP 96950

Even if you request and are granted an extension
of time to file Form W-2, you still must furnish
CAUTION Form W-2 to your employees by January 31,
2018. But see Extension of time to furnish Forms W-2 to
employees.

!

Forms OS-3710 and W-2CM are not IRS forms. For
additional information about Form W-2CM, see
cnmidof.net.

Where to file paper Forms W-2 and W-3. File Copy A
of Form W-2 with Form W-3 at the following address.

Shipping and mailing. If you file more than one type of
employment tax form, group Forms W-2 of the same type
with a separate Form W-3 for each type, and send them in
separate groups. See the specific instructions for Box
b—Kind of Payer and Box b—Kind of Employer in Specific
Instructions for Form W-3.
Prepare and file Forms W-2 either alphabetically by
employees' last names or numerically by employees'
social security numbers. Do not staple or tape Form W-3
to the related Forms W-2 or Forms W-2 to each other.
These forms are machine read. Staple holes or tears

Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18769-0001
If you use “Certified Mail” to file, change the ZIP

TIP code to “18769-0002.” If you use an IRS-approved

private delivery service, add “Attn: W-2 Process,
1150 E. Mountain Dr.” to the address and change the ZIP
code to “18702-7997.” See Pub. 15 (Circular E) for a list of
IRS-approved private delivery services.

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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

interfere with machine reading. Also, do not fold Forms
W-2 and W-3. Send the forms to the SSA in a flat mailing.

undeliverable employee copies of Forms W-2 to the
Social Security Administration (SSA).

Furnishing Copies B, C, and 2 to employees.
Generally, you must furnish Copies B, C, and 2 of Form
W-2 to your employees by January 31, 2018. You will
meet the “furnish” requirement if the form is properly
addressed and mailed on or before the due date.
If employment ends before December 31, 2017, you
may furnish copies to the employee at any time after
employment ends, but no later than January 31, 2018. If
an employee asks for Form W-2, give him or her the
completed copies within 30 days of the request or within
30 days of the final wage payment, whichever is later.
However, if you terminate your business, see Terminating
a business.
You may furnish Forms W-2 to employees on IRS
official forms or on acceptable substitute forms. See
Substitute forms. Be sure the Forms W-2 you provide to
employees are clear and legible and comply with the
requirements in Pub. 1141.
Forms W-2 that include logos, slogans, and
advertisements (including advertisements for tax
preparation software) may be confused with questionable
Forms W-2. An employee may not recognize the
importance of the employee copy for tax reporting
purposes due to the use of logos, slogans, and
advertisements. Therefore, the IRS has determined that
logos, slogans, and advertising will not be allowed on
Forms W-3, Copy A of Forms W-2, or any employee
copies reporting wages paid. See Pub. 1141 for more
information.
Extension of time to furnish Forms W-2 to
employees. You may request an extension of time to
furnish Forms W-2 to employees by sending a letter to:

Taxpayer identification numbers (TINs). Employers
use an employer identification number (EIN)
(XX-XXXXXXX). Employees use a social security number
(SSN) (XXX-XX-XXXX). When you list a number, separate
the nine digits properly to show the kind of number.
Do not accept an IRS individual taxpayer identification
number (ITIN) in place of an SSN for employee
identification or for Form W-2 reporting. An ITIN is only
available to resident and nonresident aliens who are not
eligible for U.S. employment and need identification for
other tax purposes. An ITIN will expire if it is not used at
least once on a federal tax return in the last three
consecutive tax years, either as the filer or a dependent.
ITINs issued before 2013 are scheduled to expire
according to an annual schedule. For more information,
see the Instructions for Form W-7 or visit IRS.gov/itin. You
can identify an ITIN because it is a 9-digit number
formatted like an SSN beginning with the number “9” and
with a number in one of the following ranges in the fourth
and fifth digit: 50–65, 70–88, 90–92, and 94–99 (for
example, 9NN-70-NNNN). Do not auto populate an ITIN
into box a—Employee's social security number on Form
W-2. See section 4 of Pub. 15 (Circular E).

!

CAUTION

The IRS uses SSNs to check the payments that you
report against the amounts shown on employees' tax
returns. The SSA uses SSNs to record employees'
earnings for future social security and Medicare benefits.
When you prepare Form W-2, be sure to show the correct
SSN for each employee. Do not truncate the employees'
SSNs on Form W-2. For information about verifying SSNs,
see section 4 of Pub. 15 (Circular E) or visit the SSA's
Employer W-2 Filing Instructions & Information website at
SSA.gov/employer.

Internal Revenue Service
Attn: Extension of Time Coordinator
240 Murall Drive, Mail Stop 4360
Kearneysville, WV 25430
Mail your letter on or before the due date for furnishing
Forms W-2 to employees. It must include:
Your name and address,
Your EIN,
A statement that you are requesting an extension to
furnish “Forms W-2” to employees,
The reason for delay, and
Your signature or that of your authorized agent.

!

CAUTION

Form W-2 e-filed with the SSA must contain the
same TINs as shown on all copies of Form W-2
furnished to employees.

Special Reporting Situations for Form
W-2
Adoption benefits. Amounts paid or expenses incurred
by an employer for qualified adoption expenses under an
adoption assistance program are not subject to federal
income tax withholding and are not reportable in box 1.
However, these amounts (including adoption benefits paid
from a section 125 (cafeteria) plan, but not including
adoption benefits forfeited from a cafeteria plan) are
subject to social security, Medicare, and railroad
retirement taxes and must be reported in boxes 3 and 5.
(Use box 14 if railroad retirement taxes apply.) Also, the
total amount must be reported in box 12 with code T.
For more information on adoption benefits, see Notice
97-9, 1997-1 C.B. 365, which is on page 35 of Internal
Revenue Bulletin 1997-2 at IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/

Requests for an extension of time to furnish
Forms W-2 to employees are not automatically
CAUTION granted. If approved, an extension will generally
be for no more than 15 days from the due date, unless the
need for up to a total of 30 days is clearly shown. See the
2017 General Instructions for Certain Information Returns.

!

Undeliverable Forms W-2. Keep for 4 years any
employee copies of Forms W-2 that you tried to but could
not deliver. However, if the undelivered Form W-2 can be
produced electronically through April 15th of the fourth
year after the year at issue, you do not need to keep
undeliverable employee copies. Do not send

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

An individual with an ITIN who later becomes
eligible to work in the United States must obtain
an SSN from the Social Security Administration.

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Employee contributions are deductible, within limits, on
the employee's Form 1040.
For more information, see Pub. 969, Health Savings
Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans, and
Notice 96-53, which is found on page 5 of Internal
Revenue Bulletin 1996-51 at IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/
irb96-51.pdf.

irb97-02.pdf. Advise your employees to see the
Instructions for Form 8839, Qualified Adoption Expenses.
Agent reporting. An agent who has an approved Form
2678, Employer/Payer Appointment of Agent, should
enter the following in box c of Form W-2:
(Name of agent)
Agent for (name of employer)
Address of agent

Clergy and religious workers. For certain members of
the clergy and religious workers who are not subject to
social security and Medicare taxes as employees, boxes
3 and 5 of Form W-2 should be left blank. You may
include a minister's parsonage and/or utilities allowance in
box 14. For information on the rules that apply to ministers
and certain other religious workers, see Pub. 517, Social
Security and Other Information for Members of the Clergy
and Religious Workers, and section 4 in Pub. 15-A.

Each Form W-2 should reflect the EIN of the agent in
box b. An agent files one Form W-3 for all of the Forms
W-2 and enters its own information in boxes e, f, and g of
Form W-3 as it appears on the agent's related
employment tax returns (for example, Form 941). Enter
the client-employer's EIN in box h of Form W-3 if the
Forms W-2 relate to only one employer (other than the
agent); if not, leave box h blank.
If the agent (a) is acting as an agent for two or more
employers or is an employer and is acting as an agent for
another employer, and (b) pays social security wages to
an individual on behalf of more than one employer, the
agent should file separate Forms W-2 for the affected
employee reflecting the wages paid by each employer.
See Rev. Proc. 2013-39, 2013-52 I.R.B. 830 available
at IRS.gov/irb/2013-52_IRB/ar15.html; and Form 2678
instructions for procedures to be followed in applying to
be an agent.

Deceased employee's wages. If an employee dies
during the year, you must report the accrued wages,
vacation pay, and other compensation paid after the date
of death. Also report wages that were available to the
employee while he or she was alive, regardless of
whether they actually were in the possession of the
employee, as well as any other regular wage payment,
even if you may have to reissue the payment in the name
of the estate or beneficiary.
If you made the payment after the employee's death
but in the same year the employee died, you must
withhold social security and Medicare taxes on the
payment and report the payment on the employee's Form
W-2 only as social security and Medicare wages to ensure
proper social security and Medicare credit is received. On
the employee's Form W-2, show the payment as social
security wages (box 3) and Medicare wages and tips
(box 5) and the social security and Medicare taxes
withheld in boxes 4 and 6. Do not show the payment in
box 1.
If you made the payment after the year of death, do not
report it on Form W-2, and do not withhold social security
and Medicare taxes.
Whether the payment is made in the year of death or
after the year of death, you also must report it in box 3 of
Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, for the payment
to the estate or beneficiary. Use the name and taxpayer
identification number (TIN) of the payment recipient on
Form 1099-MISC. However, if the payment is a
reissuance of wages that were constructively received by
the deceased individual while he or she was still alive, do
not report it on Form 1099-MISC.

Generally, an agent is not responsible for

TIP refunding excess social security or railroad

retirement (RRTA) tax withheld from employees. If
an employee worked for more than one employer during
2017 and had more than $7,886.40 in social security and
Tier 1 RRTA tax withheld, he or she should claim the
excess on the appropriate line of Form 1040, Form
1040A, or Form 1040NR. If an employee had more than
$4,630.50 in Tier 2 RRTA tax withheld from more than one
employer, the employee should claim a refund on Form
843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement.
Archer MSA. An employer's contribution to an
employee's Archer MSA is not subject to federal income
tax withholding or social security, Medicare, or railroad
retirement taxes if it is reasonable to believe at the time of
the payment that the contribution will be excludable from
the employee's income. However, if it is not reasonable to
believe at the time of payment that the contribution will be
excludable from the employee's income, employer
contributions are subject to income tax withholding and
social security and Medicare taxes (or railroad retirement
taxes, if applicable) and must be reported in boxes 1, 3,
and 5. (Use box 14 if railroad retirement taxes apply.)
You must report all employer contributions to an Archer
MSA in box 12 of Form W-2 with code R. Employer
contributions to an Archer MSA that are not excludable
from the income of the employee also must be reported in
boxes 1, 3, and 5 ( box 14 if railroad retirement taxes
apply).
An employee's contributions to an Archer MSA are
includible in income as wages and are subject to federal
income tax withholding and social security and Medicare
taxes (or railroad retirement taxes, if applicable).

Example. Before Employee A's death on June 15,
2017, A was employed by Employer X and received
$10,000 in wages on which federal income tax of $1,500
was withheld. When A died, X owed A $2,000 in wages
and $1,000 in accrued vacation pay. The total of $3,000
(less the social security and Medicare taxes withheld) was
paid to A's estate on July 6, 2017. Because X made the
payment during the year of death, X must withhold social
security and Medicare taxes on the $3,000 payment and
must complete Form W-2 as follows.
Box a – Employee A's SSN
Box e – Employee A's name
Box f – Employee A's address
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

If the election worker is employed in another capacity
with the same government entity, see Rev. Rul. 2000-6,
which is on page 512 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2000-6
at IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb00-06.pdf.

Box 1 – 10000.00 (does not include the $3,000 accrued
wages and vacation pay)
Box 2 – 1500.00
Box 3 – 13000.00 (includes the $3,000 accrued wages
and vacation pay)
Box 4 – 806.00 (6.2% of the amount in box 3)
Box 5 – 13000.00 (includes the $3,000 accrued wages
and vacation pay)
Box 6 – 188.50 (1.45% of the amount in box 5)

!

Employee business expense reimbursements.
Reimbursements to employees for business expenses
must be reported as follows.
Generally, payments made under an accountable plan
are excluded from the employee's gross income and are
not reported on Form W-2. However, if you pay a per diem
or mileage allowance and the amount paid for
substantiated miles or days traveled exceeds the amount
treated as substantiated under IRS rules, you must report
as wages on Form W-2 the amount in excess of the
amount treated as substantiated. The excess amount is
subject to income tax withholding and social security and
Medicare taxes (or railroad retirement taxes, if
applicable). Report the amount treated as substantiated
(that is, the nontaxable portion) in box 12 using code L.
See Box 12—Codes for Code L— Substantiated
employee business expense reimbursements. (Use
box 14 if railroad retirement taxes apply.)
Payments made under a nonaccountable plan are
reported as wages on Form W-2 and are subject to
federal income tax withholding and social security and
Medicare taxes (or railroad retirement taxes, if
applicable). (Use box 14 if railroad retirement taxes
apply.)
For more information on accountable plans,
nonaccountable plans, amounts treated as substantiated
under a per diem or mileage allowance, the standard
mileage rate, the per diem substantiation method, and the
high-low substantiation method, see Pub. 463, Travel,
Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses; and section 5 of
Pub. 15 (Circular E).

Employer X also must complete Form 1099-MISC
as follows.

CAUTION

Boxes for recipient’s name, address, and TIN—the
estate's name, address, and TIN.
Box 3: 3000.00 (Even though amounts were withheld
for social security and Medicare taxes, the gross amount
is reported here.)
If Employer X made the payment after the year of
death, the $3,000 would not be subject to social security
and Medicare taxes and would not be shown on Form
W-2. However, the employer would still file Form
1099-MISC.
Designated Roth contributions. Under section 402A, a
participant in a section 401(k) plan, under a 403(b) salary
reduction agreement, or in a governmental 457(b) plan
that includes a qualified Roth contribution program, may
elect to make designated Roth contributions to the plan or
program in lieu of elective deferrals. Designated Roth
contributions are subject to federal income tax withholding
and social security and Medicare taxes (and railroad
retirement taxes, if applicable) and must be reported in
boxes 1, 3, and 5. (Use box 14 if railroad retirement taxes
apply.)
Section 402A requires separate reporting of the yearly
designated Roth contributions. Designated Roth
contributions to 401(k) plans will be reported using code
AA in box 12; designated Roth contributions under 403(b)
salary reduction agreements will be reported using code
BB in box 12; and designated Roth contributions under a
governmental section 457(b) plan will be reported using
code EE in box 12. For reporting instructions, see Box
12—Codes for Code AA, Code BB, and Code EE.

Employee's social security and Medicare taxes (or
railroad retirement taxes, if applicable) paid by employer. If you paid your employee's share of social
security and Medicare taxes rather than deducting them
from the employee's wages, you must include these
payments as wages subject to federal (or American
Samoa, CNMI, Guam, or U.S. Virgin Islands) income tax
withholding and social security, Medicare, and federal
unemployment (FUTA) taxes. If you paid your employee's
share of railroad retirement taxes, you must include these
amounts as compensation subject to railroad retirement
taxes. The amount to include as wages and/or
compensation is determined by using the formula
contained in the discussion of Employee's Portion of
Taxes Paid by Employer in section 7 of Pub. 15-A and in
Rev. Proc. 83-43, 1983-24 I.R.B. 60.

Educational assistance programs. Employer-provided
educational assistance that qualifies as a working
condition benefit is excludable from an employee's
wages. For employer-provided educational assistance
that does not qualify as a working condition benefit, a
$5,250 exclusion may apply if the assistance is provided
under an educational assistance program under section
127. See Pub. 970, Tax Benefits for Education, and
section 2 of Pub. 15-B for more information. Also see Box
1—Wages, tips, other compensation.

This does not apply to household and agricultural
employers. If you pay a household or agricultural
CAUTION employee's social security and Medicare taxes,
you must include these payments in the employee's
wages for income tax withholding purposes. However, the
wage increase due to the tax payments is not subject to
social security, Medicare, or FUTA taxes. For information
on completing Forms W-2 and W-3 in this situation, see
the Instructions for Schedule H (Form 1040) and section 4
of Pub. 51 (Circular A).

!

Election workers. Report on Form W-2 payments of
$600 or more to election workers for services performed
in state, county, and municipal elections. File Form W-2
for payments of less than $600 paid to election workers if
social security and Medicare taxes were withheld under a
section 218 (Social Security Act) agreement. Do not
report election worker payments on Form 1099-MISC.

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

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Federal employers in the CNMI. The U.S. Treasury
Department and the CNMI Division of Revenue and
Taxation entered into an agreement under 5 U.S.C. 5517
(“5517 agreement”) in December 2006. Under this
agreement, all federal employers (including the
Department of Defense) are required to withhold CNMI
income taxes, rather than federal income taxes, and
deposit the CNMI taxes with the CNMI Treasury for
employees who are subject to CNMI taxes and whose
regular place of federal employment is in the CNMI.
Federal employers are also required to file quarterly and
annual reports with the CNMI Division of Revenue and
Taxation. For questions, contact the CNMI Division of
Revenue and Taxation.
Federal employers may use Form W-2 (rather than
Forms W-2CM or OS-3710) to report income taxes
withheld and paid to CNMI, as well as to report social
security and Medicare taxes. Use the state boxes 15, 16,
and 17 for CNMI income tax reporting. See Specific
Instructions for Form W-2 for boxes 15, 16, and 17, later.
This rule applies only to income tax reporting. Federal
employers should withhold and report social security and
Medicare taxes for these employees in the same way as
for other federal employees. For more information, go to
IRS.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/specialwithholding-rules-for-us-federal-agency-employers-withemployees-in-cnmi-or-puerto-rico.
Foreign agricultural workers. You must report
compensation of $600 or more paid in a calendar year to
an H-2A visa agricultural worker for agricultural labor. If
the H-2A visa agricultural worker furnishes a valid
taxpayer identification number, report these payments in
box 1 of Form W-2. If the worker does not furnish a valid
taxpayer identification number, report the payments on
Form 1099-MISC. See Form 1099-MISC below.
On Form W-2, no amount should be reported in boxes
3 or 5. In most cases, you do not need to withhold federal
income tax from compensation paid to H-2A visa
agricultural workers. Employers should withhold federal
income tax only if the H-2A visa agricultural worker and
the employer agree to withhold. The H-2A visa agricultural
worker must provide a completed Form W-4. If the
employer withholds income tax, the employer must report
the tax withheld in box 2 of Form W-2 and on line 8 of
Form 943. See Pub. 51 (Circular A).
Form 1099-MISC. If the H-2A visa agricultural worker
fails to furnish a taxpayer identification number to the
employer, and the total annual payments made to the
H-2A visa agricultural worker are $600 or more, the
employer must begin backup withholding on the payments
made until the H-2A visa agricultural worker furnishes a
valid taxpayer identification number. Employers must
report the compensation paid and any backup withholding
on Forms 1099-MISC and Form 945, Annual Return of
Withheld Federal Income Tax. See the 2017 Instructions
for Form 1099-MISC and the 2017 Instructions for Form
945.
For more information, enter “foreign agricultural
workers” in the search box on IRS.gov.
Fringe benefits. Include all taxable fringe benefits in
box 1 of Form W-2 as wages, tips, and other

compensation and, if applicable, in boxes 3 and 5 as
social security and Medicare wages. Although not
required, you may include the total value of fringe benefits
in box 14 (or on a separate statement). However, if you
provided your employee a vehicle and included 100% of
its annual lease value in the employee's income, you must
separately report this value to the employee in box 14 (or
on a separate statement). The employee can then figure
the value of any business use of the vehicle and report it
on Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses. Also see
Pub. 15-B for more information.
If you used the commuting rule or the vehicle
cents-per-mile rule to value the personal use of
CAUTION the vehicle, you cannot include 100% of the value
of the use of the vehicle in the employee's income. See
Pub. 15-B.

!

Golden parachute payments (not applicable to
Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI). Include any
golden parachute payments in boxes 1, 3, and 5 of Form
W-2. Withhold federal income, social security, and
Medicare taxes (or railroad retirement taxes, if applicable)
as usual and report them in boxes 2, 4, and 6,
respectively. (Use box 14 if railroad retirement taxes
apply.) Excess parachute payments are also subject to a
20% excise tax. If the excess payments are considered
wages, withhold the 20% excise tax and include it in box 2
as income tax withheld. Also report the excise tax in
box 12 with code K. For definitions and additional
information, see Regulations section 1.280G-1 and Rev.
Proc. 2003-68, 2003-34 I.R.B. 398, available at IRS.gov/
irb/2003-34_IRB/ar16.html.
Government employers. Federal, state, and local
governmental agencies have two options for reporting
their employees' wages that are subject to only Medicare
tax for part of the year and both social security and
Medicare taxes for part of the year.
The first option (which the SSA prefers) is to file a
single set of Forms W-2 per employee for the entire year,
even if only part of the year's wages are subject to both
social security and Medicare taxes. Check “941” (or “944”)
in box b of Form W-3 or check “941-SS” in box b of Form
W-3SS. The wages in box 5 of Form W-2 must be equal to
or greater than the wages in box 3 of Form W-2.
The second option is to file one set of Forms W-2 for
wages subject only to Medicare tax and another set for
wages subject to both social security and Medicare taxes.
Use a separate Form W-3 to transmit each set of Forms
W-2. For the Medicare-only Forms W-2, check “Medicare
govt. emp.” in box b of Form W-3. For the Forms W-2
showing wages subject to both social security and
Medicare taxes, check “941” (or “944”) in box b of Form
W-3 or check “941-SS” in box b of Form W-3SS. The
wages in box 5 of Form W-2 must be equal to or greater
than the wages in box 3 of Form W-2.
Group-term life insurance. You must include in boxes
1, 3, and 5 (or 14, if railroad retirement taxes apply) the
cost of group-term life insurance that is more than the cost
of $50,000 of coverage, reduced by the amount the
employee paid toward the insurance. Use Table 2-2 in
Pub. 15-B to determine the cost of the insurance. Also,
show the amount in box 12 with code C. For employees,
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

you must withhold social security and Medicare taxes, but
not federal income tax. For coverage provided to former
employees, the former employees must pay the employee
part of social security and Medicare taxes (or railroad
retirement taxes, if applicable) on the taxable cost of
group-term life insurance over $50,000 on Form 1040.
You are not required to collect those taxes. However, you
must report the uncollected social security tax (or railroad
retirement taxes, if applicable) with code M and the
uncollected Medicare tax (or RRTA Medicare tax, if
applicable) with code N in box 12 of Form W-2. However,
any uncollected Additional Medicare Tax (on the cost of
group-term life insurance, which, in combination with other
wages, is in excess of $200,000) is not reported with code
N in box 12.
Health flexible spending arrangement (FSA). For plan
year 2017, a cafeteria plan may not allow an employee to
request salary reduction contributions for a health FSA in
excess of $2,600 (as indexed for inflation).
If a cafeteria plan timely complies with the written plan
requirement limiting health FSA salary reduction
contributions, but one or more employees are erroneously
allowed to elect a salary reduction of more than $2,600 for
a plan year, the cafeteria plan will continue to be a section
125 cafeteria plan for that plan year if:
The terms of the plan apply uniformly to all participants,
The error results from a reasonable mistake by the
employer (or the employer’s agent) and is not due to
willful neglect by the employer (or the employer’s agent),
and
Salary reduction contributions in excess of $2,600 are
paid to the employee and reported as wages for income
tax withholding and employment tax purposes on the
employee’s Form W-2 (or Form W-2c) for the employee’s
taxable year in which, or with which, ends the cafeteria
plan year in which the correction is made.

!

CAUTION

The salary reduction contribution limit of $2,600
does not include any amount (up to $500) carried
over from a previous year.

For more information, see Notice 2012-40, 2012-26
I.R.B. 1046, available at IRS.gov/irb/2012-26_IRB/
ar09.html and Notice 2013-71, 2013-47 I.R.B. 532
available at IRS.gov/irb/2013-47_IRB/ar10.html.
Health savings account (HSA). An employer's
contribution (including an employee's contributions
through a cafeteria plan) to an employee's HSA is not
subject to federal income tax withholding or social
security, Medicare, or railroad retirement taxes (or FUTA
tax) if it is reasonable to believe at the time of the payment
that the contribution will be excludable from the
employee's income. However, if it is not reasonable to
believe at the time of payment that the contribution will be
excludable from the employee's income, employer
contributions are subject to federal income tax
withholding, social security and Medicare taxes (or
railroad retirement taxes, if applicable), and FUTA tax,
and must be reported in boxes 1, 3, and 5 (use box 14 if
railroad retirement taxes apply), and on Form 940,
Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax
Return.
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

You must report all employer contributions (including
an employee's contributions through a cafeteria plan) to
an HSA in box 12 of Form W-2 with code W. Employer
contributions to an HSA that are not excludable from the
income of the employee also must be reported in boxes 1,
3, and 5. (Use box 14 if railroad retirement taxes apply.)
An employee's contributions to an HSA (unless made
through a cafeteria plan) are includible in income as
wages and are subject to federal income tax withholding
and social security and Medicare taxes (or railroad
retirement taxes, if applicable). Employee contributions
are deductible, within limits, on the employee's Form
1040. For more information about HSAs, see Notice
2004-2, Notice 2004-50, and Notice 2008-52. Notice
2004-2, 2004-2 I.R.B. 269, is available at IRS.gov/irb/
2004-02_IRB/ar09.html. Notice 2004-50, 2004-33 I.R.B.
196, is available at IRS.gov/irb/2004-33_IRB/ar08.html.
Notice 2008-52, 2008-25 I.R.B. 1166, is available at
IRS.gov/irb/2008-25_IRB/ar10.html. Also see Form 8889,
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and Pub. 969.
Lost Form W-2—reissued statement. If an employee
loses a Form W-2, write “REISSUED STATEMENT” on
the new copy and furnish it to the employee. You do not
have to add “REISSUED STATEMENT” on Forms W-2
provided to employees electronically. Do not send Copy A
of the reissued Form W-2 to the SSA. Employers are not
prohibited (by the Internal Revenue Code) from charging
a fee for the issuance of a duplicate Form W-2.
Military differential pay. Employers paying their
employees while they are on active duty in the United
States uniformed services should treat these payments as
wages. Differential wage payments made to an individual
while on active duty for periods scheduled to exceed 30
days are subject to income tax withholding, but are not
subject to social security, Medicare, and unemployment
taxes. Report differential wage payments in box 1 and any
federal income tax withholding in box 2. Differential wage
payments made to an individual while on active duty for
30 days or less are subject to income tax withholding,
social security, Medicare, and unemployment taxes, and
are reported in boxes 1, 3, and 5. See Rev. Rul. 2009-11,
2009-18 I.R.B. 896, available at IRS.gov/irb/2009-18_IRB/
ar07.html.
Moving expenses. Report moving expenses as follows.
Qualified moving expenses that an employer paid to a
third party on behalf of the employee (for example, to a
moving company) and services that an employer
furnished in kind to an employee are not reported on Form
W-2.
Qualified moving expense reimbursements paid directly
to an employee by an employer are reported only in
box 12 of Form W-2 with code P.
Nonqualified moving expense reimbursements are
reported in boxes 1, 3, and 5 (use box 14 if railroad
retirement taxes apply) of Form W-2. These amounts are
subject to federal income tax withholding and social
security and Medicare taxes (or railroad retirement taxes,
if applicable).
For more information on qualified and nonqualified
moving expenses, see Pub. 521, Moving Expenses.

-11-

Nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Section
409A provides that all amounts deferred under a
nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plan for all
tax years are currently includible in gross income to the
extent not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and not
previously included in gross income, unless certain
requirements are met. Generally, section 409A is effective
with respect to amounts deferred in tax years beginning
after December 31, 2004, but deferrals made before that
year may be subject to section 409A under some
circumstances.
It is not necessary to show amounts deferred during the
year under an NQDC plan subject to section 409A. If you
report section 409A deferrals, show the amount in box 12
using code Y. For more information, see Notice 2008-115,
2008-52 I.R.B. 1367, available at IRS.gov/irb/
2008-52_IRB/ar10.html.
Income included under section 409A from an NQDC
plan will be reported in box 1 and in box 12 using code Z.
This income is also subject to an additional tax of 20%
that is reported on Form 1040. For more information on
amounts includible in gross income and reporting
requirements, see Notice 2008-115 available at IRS.gov/
irb/2008-52_IRB/ar10.html. For information on correcting
failures to comply with section 409A and related reporting,
see Notice 2008-113, 2008-51 I.R.B. 1305, available at
IRS.gov/irb/2008-51_IRB/ar12.html; Notice 2010-6,
2010-3 I.R.B. 275, available at IRS.gov/irb/2010-3_IRB/
ar08.html; and Notice 2010-80, 2010-51 I.R.B. 853,
available at IRS.gov/irb/2010-51_IRB/ar08.html.
See the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
Reporting Example Chart.
Railroad employers (not applicable to Forms W-2AS,
W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI). Railroad employers must
file Form W-2 to report their employees' wages and
income tax withholding in boxes 1 and 2. You must file a
separate Form W-3 to transmit the Forms W-2 if you have
employees covered under the Federal Insurance
Contributions Act (FICA) (social security and Medicare)
and the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA).
For employees covered by RRTA tax. Check the
“CT-1” checkbox on Form W-3, box b, “Kind of Payer,” to
transmit Forms W-2 for employees with box 1 wages and
box 2 tax withholding. Use Form W-2, box 14 to report the
RRTA compensation, Tier 1, Tier 2, Medicare, and any
Additional Medicare Tax withheld for each employee
covered by RRTA tax. Label them “RRTA compensation,”
“Tier 1 tax,” “Tier 2 tax,” “Medicare tax,” and “Additional
Medicare Tax.” Include tips reported by the employee to
the employer in “RRTA compensation.”
For employees covered by social security and
Medicare. Check the “941” checkbox on Form W-3, box
b, “Kind of Payer,” to transmit Forms W-2 for employees
covered by social security and Medicare. Use Form W-2,
boxes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 to report each employee’s social
security and Medicare wages and taxes, including
Additional Medicare taxes. These boxes are not to be
used to report railroad retirement compensation and
taxes.
Repayments. If an employee repays you for wages
received in error, do not offset the repayments against

current year wages unless the repayments are for
amounts received in error in the current year. Repayments
made in the current year, but related to a prior year or
years, must be repaid in gross, not net, and require
special tax treatment by employees in some cases. You
may advise the employee of the total repayments made
during the current year and the amount (if any) related to
prior years. This information will help the employee
account for such repayments on his or her federal income
tax return.
If the repayment was for a prior year, you must file
Form W-2c with the SSA to correct only social security
and Medicare wages and taxes, and furnish a copy to the
employee. Do not correct "Wages, tips, other
compensation" in box 1, or "Federal income tax withheld"
in box 2, on Form W-2c. Also, do not correct any
Additional Medicare Tax withheld on the repaid wages
(reported with Medicare tax withheld in box 6) on Form
W-2c. File the “X” return that is appropriate for the return
on which the wages or compensation was originally
reported (Forms 941-X, 943-X, 944-X, or CT-1X). Correct
the social security and Medicare wages and taxes for the
period during which the wages or compensation was
originally paid. For information on reporting adjustments to
Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, 944, or Form CT-1, see section
13 of Pub. 15 (Circular E), the Instructions for Form
CT-1X, or section 9 of Pub. 51 (Circular A).
Tell your employee that the wages paid in error in

TIP a prior year remain taxable to him or her for that

year. This is because the employee received and
had use of those funds during that year. The employee is
not entitled to file an amended return (Form 1040X) to
recover the income tax on these wages. Instead, the
employee is entitled to a deduction (or a credit, in some
cases) for the repaid wages on his or her Form 1040 for
the year of repayment. However, the employee is entitled
to file an amended return (Form 1040X) to recover
Additional Medicare Tax on these wages, if any. Refer
your employee to Repayments in Pub. 525.
Scholarship and fellowship grants. Give a Form W-2
to each recipient of a scholarship or fellowship grant only
if you are reporting amounts includible in income under
section 117(c) (relating to payments for teaching,
research, or other services required as a condition for
receiving the qualified scholarship). Also see Pub. 15-A
and Pub. 970. These payments are subject to federal
income tax withholding. However, their taxability for social
security and Medicare taxes (or railroad retirement taxes,
if applicable) depends on the nature of the employment
and the status of the organization. See Students,
scholars, trainees, teachers, etc., in section 15 of Pub. 15
(Circular E).
Sick pay. If you had employees who received sick pay in
2017 from an insurance company or other third-party
payer and the third party notified you of the amount of sick
pay involved, you may be required to report the
information on the employees' Forms W-2. If the
insurance company or other third-party payer did not
notify you in a timely manner about the sick pay
payments, it must prepare Forms W-2 and W-3 for your

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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

employees showing the sick pay. For specific reporting
instructions, see section 6 of Pub. 15-A.

contributions relate, and the amount contributed for each
year.

SIMPLE retirement account. An employee's salary
reduction contributions to a SIMPLE (savings incentive
match plan for employees) retirement account are not
subject to federal income tax withholding but are subject
to social security, Medicare, and railroad retirement taxes.
Do not include an employee's contribution in box 1, but do
include it in boxes 3 and 5. (Use box 14 if railroad
retirement taxes apply.) An employee's total contribution
also must be included in box 12 with code D or S.
An employer's matching or nonelective contribution to
an employee's SIMPLE retirement account is not subject
to federal income tax withholding or social security,
Medicare, or railroad retirement taxes, and is not to be
shown on Form W-2.
For more information on SIMPLE retirement accounts,
see Notice 98-4, 1998-1 C.B. 269. You can find Notice
98-4 on page 25 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 1998-2 at
IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb98-02.pdf.

Virtual currency. For federal tax purposes, virtual
currency is treated as property. Bitcoin is an example of
virtual currency. Transactions using virtual currency (such
as Bitcoin) must be reported in U.S. dollars.
The fair market value of virtual currency (such as
Bitcoin) paid as wages is subject to federal income tax
withholding, FICA tax, and FUTA tax and must be
reported on Form W-2. Notice 2014-21, 2014-16 I.R.B.
938 describes how virtual currency is treated for federal
tax purposes and is available at IRS.gov/irb/2014-16_IRB/
ar12.html.

Successor/predecessor employers. If you buy or sell a
business during the year, see Rev. Proc. 2004-53 for
information on who must file Forms W-2 and employment
tax returns. Rev. Proc. 2004-53, 2004-34 I.R.B. 320, is
available at IRS.gov/irb/2004-34_IRB/ar13.html.
Terminating a business. If you terminate your business,
you must provide Forms W-2 to your employees for the
calendar year of termination by the due date of your final
Forms 941, 944, or 941-SS. You also must file Forms W-2
with the SSA by the last day of the month that follows the
due date of your final Forms 941, 944, or 941-SS. If filing
on paper, make sure you obtain Forms W-2 and W-3
preprinted with the correct year. If e-filing, make sure your
software has been updated for the current tax year.
However, if any of your employees are immediately
employed by a successor employer, see Successor/
predecessor employers above. Also, for information on
automatic extensions for furnishing Forms W-2 to
employees and filing Forms W-2, see Rev. Proc. 96-57,
which is on page 14 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 1996-53
at IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb96-53.pdf.
Get Schedule D (Form 941), Report of

TIP Discrepancies Caused by Acquisitions, Statutory

Mergers, or Consolidations, for information on
reconciling wages and taxes reported on Forms W-2 with
amounts reported on Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, or 944.
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) makeup amounts to a
pension plan. If an employee returned to your
employment after military service and certain makeup
amounts were contributed to a pension plan for a prior
year(s) under the USERRA, report the prior year
contributions separately in box 12. See the TIP above
Code D in Box 12—Codes. You also may report certain
makeup amounts in box 14. See Box 14—Other in
Specific Instructions for Form W-2.
Instead of reporting in box 12 (or box 14), you may
choose to provide a separate statement to your employee
showing USERRA makeup contributions. The statement
must identify the type of plan, the year(s) to which the
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Penalties

The following penalties apply to the person or employer
required to file Form W-2. The penalties apply to both
paper filers and e-filers.
Employers are responsible for ensuring that
Forms W-2 are furnished to employees and that
CAUTION Forms W-2 and W-3 are filed with the SSA
correctly and on time, even if the employer contracts with
a third party to perform these acts. The IRS strongly
suggests that the employer's address, not the third party's
address, be the address on record with the IRS. This will
ensure that you remain informed of tax matters involving
your business because the IRS will correspond to the
employer's address of record if there are any issues with
an account. If you choose to outsource any of your payroll
and related tax duties (that is, withholding, reporting, and
paying over social security, Medicare, FUTA, and income
taxes) to a third party payer, visit IRS.gov and enter
“outsourcing payroll duties” in the search box for helpful
information on this topic.

!

Failure to file correct information returns by the due
date. If you fail to file a correct Form W-2 by the due date
and cannot show reasonable cause, you may be subject
to a penalty as provided under section 6721. The penalty
applies if you:
Fail to file timely,
Fail to include all information required to be shown on
Form W-2,
Include incorrect information on Form W-2,
File on paper forms when you are required to e-file,
Report an incorrect TIN,
Fail to report a TIN, or
Fail to file paper Forms W-2 that are machine readable.
The amount of the penalty is based on when you file
the correct Form W-2. Penalties are indexed for inflation.
The penalty amounts shown below apply for filings due
after December 31, 2017. The penalty is:
$50 per Form W-2 if you correctly file within 30 days of
the due date; the maximum penalty is $536,000 per year
($187,500 for small businesses, defined in Small
businesses).
$100 per Form W-2 if you correctly file more than 30
days after the due date but by August 1; the maximum
penalty is $1,609,000 per year ($536,000 for small
businesses).
$260 per Form W-2 if you file after August 1, do not file
corrections, or do not file required Forms W-2; the
-13-

maximum penalty is $3,218,500 per year ($1,072,500 for
small businesses).
If you do not file corrections and you do not meet
any of the exceptions to the penalty, the penalty is
CAUTION $260 per information return. The maximum
penalty is $3,218,500 per year ($1,072,500 for small
businesses).

!

Exceptions to the penalty. The following are
exceptions to the failure to file correct information returns
penalty.
1. The penalty will not apply to any failure that you can
show was due to reasonable cause and not to willful
neglect. In general, you must be able to show that your
failure was due to an event beyond your control or due to
significant mitigating factors. You also must be able to
show that you acted in a responsible manner and took
steps to avoid the failure.
2. An inconsequential error or omission is not
considered a failure to include correct information. An
inconsequential error or omission does not prevent or
hinder the SSA/IRS from processing the Form W-2, from
correlating the information required to be shown on the
form with the information shown on the payee's tax return,
or from otherwise putting the form to its intended use.
Errors and omissions that are never inconsequential are
those relating to:
A TIN,
A payee's surname, and
Any money amounts.
3. De minimis rule for corrections. Even though you
cannot show reasonable cause, the penalty for failure to
file correct Forms W-2 will not apply to a certain number of
returns if you:
Filed those Forms W-2 on or before the required filing
date,
Either failed to include all of the information required on
the form or included incorrect information, and
Filed corrections of these forms by August 1.
If you meet all of the de minimis rule conditions, the
penalty for filing incorrect information returns (including
Form W-2) will not apply to the greater of 10 information
returns (including Form W-2) or one-half of 1% of the total
number of information returns (including Form W-2) that
you are required to file for the calendar year.
4. Forms W-2 issued with incorrect dollar amounts
may fall under a safe harbor for certain de minimis errors.
The safe harbor generally applies if no single amount in
error differs from the correct amount by more than $100
and no single amount reported for tax withheld differs
from the correct amount by more than $25.
If the safe harbor applies, you will not have to correct
the Form W-2 to avoid penalties. However, if the payee
elects for the safe harbor not to apply, you may have to
issue a corrected return to avoid penalties. For more
information, see Notice 2017-9, 2017-4 I.R.B. 542,
available at IRS.gov/irb/2017-04_IRB/ar11.html.
Small businesses. For purposes of the lower
maximum penalties shown in Failure to file correct
information returns by the due date, you are a small
business if your average annual gross receipts for the 3

most recent tax years (or for the period that you were in
existence, if shorter) ending before the calendar year in
which the Forms W-2 were due are $5 million or less.
Intentional disregard of filing requirements. If any
failure to timely file a correct Form W-2 is due to
intentional disregard of the filing or correct information
requirements, the penalty is at least $530 per Form W-2
with no maximum penalty.
Failure to furnish correct payee statements. If you fail
to provide correct payee statements (Forms W-2) to your
employees and cannot show reasonable cause, you may
be subject to a penalty as provided under section 6722.
The penalty applies if you fail to provide the statement by
January 31, 2018, if you fail to include all information
required to be shown on the statement, or if you include
incorrect information on the statement.
The amount of the penalty is based on when you
furnish the correct payee statement. This penalty is an
additional penalty and is applied in the same manner, and
with the same amounts, as in Failure to file correct
information returns by the due date.
Exceptions to the penalty. An inconsequential error
or omission is not considered a failure to include correct
information. An inconsequential error or omission cannot
reasonably be expected to prevent or hinder the payee
from timely receiving correct information and reporting it
on his or her income tax return or from otherwise putting
the statement to its intended use. Errors and omissions
that are never inconsequential are those relating to:
A dollar amount,
A significant item in a payee's address, and
The appropriate form for the information provided, such
as whether the form is an acceptable substitute for the
official IRS form.
See Exceptions to the penalty in Failure to file correct
information returns by the due date, for additional
exceptions to the penalty for failure to file correct payee
statements.
Intentional disregard of payee statement
requirements. If any failure to provide a correct payee
statement (Form W-2) to an employee is due to intentional
disregard of the requirements to furnish a correct payee
statement, the penalty is $530 per Form W-2 with no
maximum penalty.
Civil damages for fraudulent filing of Forms W-2. If
you willfully file a fraudulent Form W-2 for payments that
you claim you made to another person, that person may
be able to sue you for damages. If you are found liable,
you may have to pay $5,000 or more in damages. You
may also be subject to criminal sanctions.

Specific Instructions for Form W-2
How to complete Form W-2. Form W-2 is a multi-part
form. Ensure all copies are legible. Send Copy A to the
SSA; Copy 1, if required, to your state, city, or local tax
department; and Copies B, C, and 2 to your employee.
Keep Copy D, and a copy of Form W-3, with your records
for 4 years.
Enter the information on Form W-2 using black ink in
12-point Courier font. Copy A is read by machine and
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

must be typed clearly with no corrections made to the
entries and with no entries exceeding the size of the
boxes. Entries completed by hand, in script or italic fonts,
or in colors other than black cannot be read by the
machines. Make all dollar entries on Copy A without the
dollar sign and comma but with the decimal point
(00000.00). Show the cents portion of the money
amounts. If a box does not apply, leave it blank.
Send the whole Copy A page of Form W-2 with Form
W-3 to the SSA even if one of the Forms W-2 on the page
is blank or void. Do not staple Forms W-2 together or to
Form W-3. File Forms W-2 either alphabetically by
employees' last names or numerically by employees'
SSNs.
Also see the Caution in How To Get Forms and
Publications.
Calendar year basis. The entries on Form W-2 must be
based on wages paid during the calendar year. Use Form
W-2 for the correct tax year. For example, if the employee
worked from December 24, 2017, through January 6,
2018, and the wages for that period were paid on January
9, 2018, include those wages on the 2018 Form W-2.
Multiple forms. If necessary, you can issue more than
one Form W-2 to an employee. For example, you may
need to report more than four coded items in box 12 or
you may want to report other compensation on a second
form. If you issue a second Form W-2, complete boxes a,
b, c, d, e, and f with the same information as on the first
Form W-2. Show any items that were not included on the
first Form W-2 in the appropriate boxes.
Do not report the same federal, American Samoa,
CNMI, Guam, or U.S. Virgin Islands tax data to the SSA
on more than one Copy A.
For each Form W-2 showing an amount in box 3

TIP or box 7, make certain that box 5 equals or
exceeds the sum of boxes 3 and 7.

Void. Check this box when an error is made on Form W-2
and you are voiding it because you are going to complete
a new Form W-2. Do not include any amounts shown on
“Void” forms in the totals you enter on Form W-3. See
Corrections.
Box a—Employee's social security number. Enter the
number shown on the employee's social security card.
If the employee does not have a card, he or she should
apply for one by completing Form SS-5, Application for a
Social Security Card. The SSA lets you verify employee
names and SSNs online. For information about these free
services, visit the Employer W-2 Filing Instructions &
Information website at SSA.gov/employer. If you have
questions about using these services, call
1-800-772-6270 (toll free) to speak with an employer
reporting technician at the SSA.
If the employee has applied for a card but the number
is not received in time for filing, enter “Applied For” in box
a on paper Forms W-2 filed with the SSA. If e-filing, enter
zeros (000-00-0000 if creating forms online or 000000000
if uploading a file).
Ask the employee to inform you of the number and
name as they are shown on the social security card when
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

it is received. Then correct your previous report by filing
Form W-2c showing the employee's SSN. If the employee
needs to change his or her name from that shown on the
card, the employee should call the SSA at
1-800-772-1213.
If you do not provide the correct employee name and
SSN on Form W-2, you may owe a penalty unless you
have reasonable cause. For more information, see Pub.
1586, Reasonable Cause Regulations & Requirements for
Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs.
ITINs for aliens. Do not accept an ITIN in place of an
SSN for employee identification or for work. An ITIN is
only available to resident and nonresident aliens who are
not eligible for U.S. employment and need identification
for other tax purposes. You can identify an ITIN because it
is a 9-digit number formatted like an SSN beginning with
the number “9” and with a number in one of the following
ranges in the fourth and fifth digit: 50–65, 70–88, 90–92,
and 94–99 (for example, 9NN-70-NNNN). An individual
with an ITIN who later becomes eligible to work in the
United States must obtain an SSN.

!

Do not auto-populate an ITIN into box a.

CAUTION

Box b—Employer identification number (EIN). Show
the EIN assigned to you by the IRS (00-0000000). This
should be the same number that you used on your federal
employment tax returns (Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, 944,
CT-1, or Schedule H (Form 1040)). Do not use a prior
owner's EIN. If you do not have an EIN when filing Forms
W-2, enter “Applied For” in box b; do not use your SSN.
You can get an EIN by applying online at IRS.gov, or by
filing Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification
Number. Also see Agent reporting.
Box c—Employer's name, address, and ZIP code.
This entry should be the same as shown on your Forms
941, 941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1, or Schedule H (Form 1040).
The U.S. Postal Service recommends that no commas or
periods be used in return addresses. Also see Agent
reporting.
Box d—Control number. You may use this box to
identify individual Forms W-2. You do not have to use this
box.
Boxes e and f—Employee's name and address. Enter
the name as shown on your employee's social security
card (first name, middle initial, last name). If the name
does not fit in the space allowed on the form, you may
show the first and middle name initials and the full last
name. It is especially important to report the exact last
name of the employee. If you are unable to determine the
correct last name, use of the SSA's Social Security
Number Verification System may be helpful.
Separate parts of a compound name with either a
hyphen or a blank. Do not join them into a single word.
Include all parts of a compound name in the appropriate
name field. For example, for the name “John R
Smith-Jones,” enter “Smith-Jones” or “Smith Jones” in the
last name field.
If the name has changed, the employee must get a
corrected social security card from any SSA office. Use
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the name on the original card until you see the corrected
card.
Do not show titles or academic degrees, such as “Dr.,”
“RN,” or “Esq.,” at the beginning or end of the employee's
name. Generally, do not enter “Jr.,” “Sr.,” or other suffix in
the “Suff.” box on Copy A unless the suffix appears on the
card. However, the SSA still prefers that you do not enter
the suffix on Copy A.
Include in the address the number, street, and
apartment or suite number (or P.O. box number if mail is
not delivered to a street address). The U.S. Postal Service
recommends that no commas or periods be used in
delivery addresses. For a foreign address, give the
information in the following order: city, province or state,
and country. Follow the country's practice for entering the
postal code. Do not abbreviate the country name.
Box 1—Wages, tips, other compensation. Show the
total taxable wages, tips, and other compensation that you
paid to your employee during the year. However, do not
include elective deferrals (such as employee contributions
to a section 401(k) or 403(b) plan) except section 501(c)
(18) contributions. Include the following.
1. Total wages, bonuses (including signing bonuses),
prizes, and awards paid to employees during the year.
See Calendar year basis.
2. Total noncash payments, including certain fringe
benefits. See Fringe benefits.
3. Total tips reported by the employee to the employer
(not allocated tips).
4. Certain employee business expense
reimbursements. See Employee business expense
reimbursements.
5. The cost of accident and health insurance
premiums for 2%-or-more shareholder-employees paid by
an S corporation.
6. Taxable benefits from a section 125 (cafeteria) plan
if the employee chooses cash.
7. Employee contributions to an Archer MSA.
8. Employer contributions to an Archer MSA if
includible in the income of the employee. See Archer
MSA.
9. Employer contributions for qualified long-term care
services to the extent that such coverage is provided
through a flexible spending or similar arrangement.
10. Taxable cost of group-term life insurance in excess
of $50,000. See Group-term life insurance.
11. Unless excludable under Educational assistance
programs, payments for non-job-related education
expenses or for payments under a nonaccountable plan.
See Pub. 970.
12. The amount includible as wages because you paid
your employee's share of social security and Medicare
taxes (or railroad retirement taxes, if applicable). See
Employee's social security and Medicare taxes (or
railroad retirement taxes, if applicable) paid by employer.
If you also paid your employee's income tax withholding,
treat the grossed-up amount of that withholding as
supplemental wages and report those wages in boxes 1,
3, 5, and 7. (Use box 14 if railroad retirement taxes apply.)

No exceptions to this treatment apply to household or
agricultural wages.
13. Designated Roth contributions made under a
section 401(k) plan, a section 403(b) salary reduction
agreement, or a governmental section 457(b) plan. See
Designated Roth contributions.
14. Distributions to an employee or former employee
from an NQDC plan (including a rabbi trust) or a
nongovernmental section 457(b) plan.
15. Amounts includible in income under section 457(f)
because the amounts are no longer subject to a
substantial risk of forfeiture.
16. Payments to statutory employees who are subject
to social security and Medicare taxes but not subject to
federal income tax withholding must be shown in box 1 as
other compensation. See Statutory employee.
17. Cost of current insurance protection under a
compensatory split-dollar life insurance arrangement.
18. Employee contributions to a health savings account
(HSA).
19. Employer contributions to an HSA if includible in the
income of the employee. See Health savings account
(HSA).
20. Amounts includible in income under an NQDC plan
because of section 409A. See Nonqualified deferred
compensation plans under Special Reporting Situations
for Form W-2.
21. Payments made to former employees while they are
on active duty in the Armed Forces or other uniformed
services.
22. All other compensation, including certain
scholarship and fellowship grants. See Scholarship and
fellowship grants. Other compensation includes taxable
amounts that you paid to your employee from which
federal income tax was not withheld. You may show other
compensation on a separate Form W-2. See Multiple
forms.
Box 2—Federal income tax withheld. Show the total
federal income tax withheld from the employee's wages
for the year. Include the 20% excise tax withheld on
excess parachute payments. See Golden parachute
payments.
For Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI, show
the total American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, or U.S. Virgin
Islands income tax withheld.
Box 3—Social security wages. Show the total wages
paid (before payroll deductions) subject to employee
social security tax but not including social security tips and
allocated tips. If reporting these amounts in a subsequent
year (due to lapse of risk of forfeiture), the amount must
be adjusted by any gain or loss. See Box 7—Social
security tips and Box 8—Allocated tips. Generally,
noncash payments are considered to be wages. Include
employee business expense reimbursements reported in
box 1. If you paid the employee's share of social security
and Medicare taxes rather than deducting them from
wages, see Employee's social security and Medicare
taxes (or railroad retirement taxes, if applicable) paid by
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

employer. The total of boxes 3 and 7 cannot exceed
$127,200 (2017 maximum social security wage base).
Report in box 3 elective deferrals to certain qualified
cash or deferred compensation arrangements and to
retirement plans described in box 12 (codes D, E, F, G,
and S) even though the deferrals are not includible in
box 1. Also report in box 3 designated Roth contributions
made under a section 401(k) plan, under a section 403(b)
salary reduction agreement, or under a governmental
section 457(b) plan described in box 12 (codes AA, BB,
and EE).
Amounts deferred (plus earnings or less losses) under
a section 457(f) or nonqualified plan or nongovernmental
section 457(b) plan must be included in boxes 3 and/or 5
as social security and/or Medicare wages as of the later of
when the services giving rise to the deferral are performed
or when there is no substantial forfeiture risk of the rights
to the deferred amount. Include both elective and
nonelective deferrals for purposes of nongovernmental
section 457(b) plans.
Wages reported in box 3 also include:
Signing bonuses an employer pays for signing or
ratifying an employment contract. See Rev. Rul.
2004-109, 2004-50 I.R.B. 958 available at IRS.gov/irb/
2004-50_IRB/ar07.html.
Taxable cost of group-term life insurance over $50,000
included in box 1. See Group-term life insurance.
Cost of accident and health insurance premiums for
2%-or-more shareholder-employees paid by an S
corporation, but only if not excludable under section
3121(a)(2)(B).
Employee and nonexcludable employer contributions to
an MSA or HSA. However, do not include employee
contributions to an HSA that were made through a
cafeteria plan. See Archer MSA and Health savings
account (HSA).
Employee contributions to a SIMPLE retirement
account. See SIMPLE retirement account.
Adoption benefits. See Adoption benefits.
Box 4—Social security tax withheld. Show the total
employee social security tax (not your share) withheld,
including social security tax on tips. For 2017, the amount
should not exceed $7,886.40 ($127,200 × 6.2%). Include
only taxes withheld (or paid by you for the employee) for
2017 wages and tips. If you paid your employee's share,
see Employee's social security and Medicare taxes (or
railroad retirement taxes, if applicable) paid by employer.
Box 5—Medicare wages and tips. The wages and tips
subject to Medicare tax are the same as those subject to
social security tax (boxes 3 and 7) except that there is no
wage base limit for Medicare tax. Enter the total Medicare
wages and tips in box 5. Be sure to enter tips that the
employee reported even if you did not have enough
employee funds to collect the Medicare tax for those tips.
See Box 3—Social security wages, for payments to report
in this box. If you paid your employee's share of taxes, see
Employee's social security and Medicare taxes (or
railroad retirement taxes, if applicable) paid by employer.
If you are a federal, state, or local governmental agency
with employees paying only Medicare tax, enter the
Medicare wages in this box. See Government employers.
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Example of how to report social security and
Medicare wages. You paid your employee $140,000 in
wages. Enter in box 3 (social security wages) 127200.00
but enter in box 5 (Medicare wages and tips) 140000.00.
There is no limit on the amount reported in box 5. If the
amount of wages paid was $127,200 or less, the amounts
entered in boxes 3 and 5 will be the same.
Box 6—Medicare tax withheld. Enter the total
employee Medicare tax (including any Additional
Medicare Tax) withheld. Do not include your share.
Include only tax withheld for 2017 wages and tips. If you
paid your employee's share of the taxes, see Employee's
social security and Medicare taxes (or railroad retirement
taxes, if applicable) paid by employer.
For more information on Additional Medicare Tax, go to
IRS.gov and enter “Additional Medicare Tax” in the search
box.
Box 7—Social security tips. Show the tips that the
employee reported to you even if you did not have enough
employee funds to collect the social security tax for the
tips. The total of boxes 3 and 7 should not be more than
$127,200 (the maximum social security wage base for
2017). Report all tips in box 1 along with wages and other
compensation. Include any tips reported in box 7 in box 5
also.
Box 8—Allocated tips (not applicable to Forms
W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI). If you operate a
large food or beverage establishment, show the tips
allocated to the employee. See the Instructions for Form
8027, Employer's Annual Information Return of Tip
Income and Allocated Tips. Do not include this amount in
boxes 1, 3, 5, or 7.
Box 9—Verification code (not applicable to Forms
W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI). If you are
participating in the W-2 Verification Code Initiative, enter
the appropriate verification code in box 9. Otherwise,
leave box 9 blank. For more information, see IRS.gov/
individuals/w-2-verification-code.
Box 10—Dependent care benefits (not applicable to
Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI). Show the
total dependent care benefits under a dependent care
assistance program (section 129) paid or incurred by you
for your employee. Include the fair market value (FMV) of
care in a daycare facility provided or sponsored by you for
your employee and amounts paid or incurred for
dependent care assistance in a section 125 (cafeteria)
plan. Report all amounts paid or incurred (regardless of
any employee forfeitures), including those in excess of the
$5,000 exclusion. This may include (a) the FMV of
benefits provided in kind by the employer, (b) an amount
paid directly to a daycare facility by the employer or
reimbursed to the employee to subsidize the benefit, or (c)
benefits from the pre-tax contributions made by the
employee under a section 125 dependent care flexible
spending account. Include any amounts over $5,000 in
boxes 1, 3, and 5. For more information, see Pub. 15-B.
An employer that amends its cafeteria plan to

TIP provide a grace period for dependent care

assistance may continue to rely on Notice 89-111
by reporting in box 10 the salary reduction amount elected
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by the employee for the year for dependent care
assistance (plus any employer matching contributions
attributable to dependent care). Also see Notice 2005-42,
2005-23 I.R.B. 1204, available at IRS.gov/irb/
2005-23_IRB/ar11.html.
Box 11—Nonqualified plans. The purpose of box 11 is
for the SSA to determine if any part of the amount
reported in box 1 or boxes 3 and/or 5 was earned in a
prior year. The SSA uses this information to verify that
they have properly applied the social security earnings
test and paid the correct amount of benefits.
Report distributions to an employee from a nonqualified
plan or nongovernmental section 457(b) plan in box 11.
Also report these distributions in box 1. Make only one
entry in this box. Distributions from governmental section
457(b) plans must be reported on Form 1099-R, not in
box 1 of Form W-2.
Under nonqualified plans or nongovernmental 457(b)
plans, deferred amounts that are no longer subject to a
substantial risk of forfeiture are taxable even if not
distributed. Report these amounts in boxes 3 (up to the
social security wage base) and 5. Do not report in box 11
deferrals included in boxes 3 and/or 5 and deferrals for
current year services (such as those with no risk of
forfeiture).
If you made distributions and also are reporting
any deferrals in boxes 3 and/or 5, do not complete
CAUTION box 11. See Pub. 957, Reporting Back Pay and
Special Wage Payments to the Social Security
Administration, and Form SSA-131, Employer Report of
Special Wage Payments, for instructions on reporting
these and other kinds of compensation earned in prior
years. However, do not file Form SSA-131 if this
situation applies and the employee was not 61 years
old or more during the tax year for which you are
filing Form W-2.

!

Unlike qualified plans, NQDC plans do not meet the
qualification requirements for tax-favored status for this
purpose. NQDC plans include those arrangements
traditionally viewed as deferring the receipt of current
compensation. Accordingly, welfare benefit plans, stock
option plans, and plans providing dismissal pay,
termination pay, or early retirement pay are not generally
NQDC plans.
Report distributions from NQDC or section 457 plans to
beneficiaries of deceased employees on Form
1099-MISC, not on Form W-2.
Military employers must report military retirement
payments on Form 1099-R.
Do not report special wage payments, such as

TIP accumulated sick pay or vacation pay, in box 11.

For more information on reporting special wage
payments, see Pub. 957.

Box 12—Codes. Complete and code this box for all
items described below. Note that the codes do not relate
to where they should be entered in boxes 12a through 12d
on Form W-2. For example, if you are only required to
report code D in box 12, you can enter code D and the

amount in box 12a of Form W-2. Report in box 12 any
items that are listed as codes A through EE. Do not report
in box 12 section 414(h)(2) contributions (relating to
certain state or local government plans). Instead, use
box 14 for these items and any other information that you
wish to give to your employee. For example, union dues
and uniform payments may be reported in box 14.
On Copy A (Form W-2), do not enter more

TIP than four items in box 12. If more than four

items need to be reported in box 12, use a
separate Form W-2 to report the additional items (but
enter no more than four items on each Copy A (Form
W-2)). On all other copies of Form W-2 (Copies B, C,
etc.), you may enter more than four items in box 12 when
using an approved substitute Form W-2. See Multiple
forms.
Use the IRS code designated below for the item you
are entering, followed by the dollar amount for that item.
Even if only one item is entered, you must use the IRS
code designated for that item. Enter the code using a
capital letter(s). Use decimal points but not dollar signs or
commas. For example, if you are reporting $5,300.00 in
elective deferrals under a section 401(k) plan, the entry
would be D 5300.00 (not A 5300.00 even though it is the
first or only entry in this box). Report the IRS code to the
left of the vertical line in boxes 12a through 12d and the
money amount to the right of the vertical line.
See the Form W-2 Reference Guide for Box 12 Codes.
See also the detailed instructions next for each code.
Code A—Uncollected social security or RRTA tax
on tips. Show the employee social security or Railroad
Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) tax on all of the employee's
tips that you could not collect because the employee did
not have enough funds from which to deduct it. Do not
include this amount in box 4.
Code B—Uncollected Medicare tax on tips. Show
the employee Medicare tax or RRTA Medicare tax on tips
that you could not collect because the employee did not
have enough funds from which to deduct it. Do not show
any uncollected Additional Medicare Tax. Do not include
this amount in box 6.
Code C—Taxable cost of group-term life insurance
over $50,000. Show the taxable cost of group-term life
insurance coverage over $50,000 provided to your
employee (including a former employee). See Group-term
life insurance. Also include this amount in boxes 1, 3 (up
to the social security wage base), and 5. Include the
amount in box 14 if you are a railroad employer.
Codes D through H, S, Y, AA, BB, and EE. Use
these codes to show elective deferrals and designated
Roth contributions made to the plans listed. Do not report
amounts for other types of plans. See the example for
reporting elective deferrals under a section 401(k) plan,
later.
The amount reported as elective deferrals and
designated Roth contributions is only the part of the
employee's salary (or other compensation) that he or she
did not receive because of the deferrals or designated
Roth contributions. Only elective deferrals and designated
Roth contributions should be reported in box 12 for all
coded plans; except, when using code G for section
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

457(b) plans, include both elective and nonelective
deferrals.
For employees who were 50 years of age or older at
any time during the year and made elective deferral
and/or designated Roth “catch-up” contributions, report
the elective deferrals and the elective deferral “catch-up”
contributions as a single sum in box 12 using the
appropriate code, and the designated Roth contributions
and designated Roth “catch-up” contributions as a single
sum in box 12 using the appropriate code.
If any elective deferrals, salary reduction amounts,

TIP or nonelective contributions under a section

457(b) plan during the year are makeup amounts
under the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) for a prior
year, you must enter the prior year contributions
separately. Beginning with the earliest year, enter the
code, the year, and the amount. For example, elective
deferrals of $2,250 for 2015 and $1,250 for 2016 under
USERRA under a section 401(k) plan are reported in
box 12 as follows:
D 15 2250.00, D 16 1250.00. A 2017 contribution of
$7,000 does not require a year designation; enter it as D
7000.00. Report the code (and year for prior year
USERRA contributions) to the left of the vertical line in
boxes 12a through 12d.
The following are not elective deferrals and may be
reported in box 14, but not in box 12.
Nonelective employer contributions made on behalf of
an employee.
After-tax contributions that are not designated Roth
contributions, such as voluntary contributions to a pension
plan that are deducted from an employee's pay. See Box
12—Codes for Code AA, Code BB, and Code EE for
reporting designated Roth contributions.
Required employee contributions.
Employer matching contributions.
Code D—Elective deferrals under a section 401(k)
cash or deferred arrangement (plan). Also show
deferrals under a SIMPLE retirement account that is part
of a section 401(k) arrangement.
Example of reporting excess elective deferrals
and designated Roth contributions under a section
401(k) plan. For 2017, Employee A (age 45) elected to
defer $18,300 under a section 401(k) plan. The employee
also made a designated Roth contribution to the plan of
$1,000, and made a voluntary (non-Roth) after-tax
contribution of $600. In addition, the employer, on A's
behalf, made a qualified nonelective contribution of
$2,000 to the plan and a nonelective profit-sharing
employer contribution of $3,000.
Even though the 2017 limit for elective deferrals and
designated Roth contributions is $18,000, the employee's
total elective deferral amount of $18,300 is reported in
box 12 with code D (D 18300.00). The designated Roth
contribution is reported in box 12 with code AA (AA
1000.00). The employer must separately report the actual
amounts of $18,300 and $1,000 in box 12 with the
appropriate codes. The amount deferred in excess of the
limit is not reported in box 1. The return of excess salary
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

deferrals and excess designated contributions, including
earnings on both, is reported on Form 1099-R.
The $600 voluntary after-tax contribution may be
reported in box 14 (this is optional) but not in box 12. The
$2,000 nonelective contribution and the $3,000
nonelective profit-sharing employer contribution are not
required to be reported on Form W-2, but may be reported
in box 14.
Check the “Retirement plan” box in box 13.
Code E—Elective deferrals under a section 403(b)
salary reduction agreement.
Code F—Elective deferrals under a section 408(k)
(6) salary reduction SEP.
Code G—Elective deferrals and employer
contributions (including nonelective deferrals) to
any governmental or nongovernmental section
457(b) deferred compensation plan. Do not report
either section 457(b) or section 457(f) amounts that are
subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture.
Code H—Elective deferrals under section 501(c)
(18)(D) tax-exempt organization plan. Be sure to
include this amount in box 1 as wages. The employee will
deduct the amount on his or her Form 1040.
Code J—Nontaxable sick pay. Show any sick pay
that was paid by a third party and was not includible in
income (and not shown in boxes 1, 3, and 5) because the
employee contributed to the sick pay plan. Do not include
nontaxable disability payments made directly by a state.
Code K—20% excise tax on excess golden
parachute payments (not applicable to Forms
W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI). If you made excess
golden parachute payments to certain key corporate
employees, report the 20% excise tax on these payments.
If the excess payments are considered to be wages,
report the 20% excise tax withheld as income tax withheld
in box 2.
Code L—Substantiated employee business
expense reimbursements. Use this code only if you
reimbursed your employee for employee business
expenses using a per diem or mileage allowance and the
amount that you reimbursed exceeds the amount treated
as substantiated under IRS rules. See Employee business
expense reimbursements.
Report in box 12 only the amount treated as
substantiated (such as the nontaxable part). Include in
boxes 1, 3 (up to the social security wage base), and 5 the
part of the reimbursement that is more than the amount
treated as substantiated. Report the unsubstantiated
amounts in box 14 if you are a railroad employer.
Code M—Uncollected social security or RRTA tax
on taxable cost of group-term life insurance over
$50,000 (for former employees). If you provided your
former employees (including retirees) more than $50,000
of group-term life insurance coverage for periods during
which an employment relationship no longer exists, enter
the amount of uncollected social security or RRTA tax on
the coverage in box 12. Do not include this amount in
box 4. Also see Group-term life insurance.
Code N—Uncollected Medicare tax on taxable cost
of group-term life insurance over $50,000 (for former
employees). If you provided your former employees
(including retirees) more than $50,000 of group-term life
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insurance coverage for periods during which an
employment relationship no longer exists, enter the
amount of uncollected Medicare tax or RRTA Medicare
tax on the coverage in box 12. Do not show any
uncollected Additional Medicare Tax. Do not include this
amount in box 6. Also see Group-term life insurance.
Code P—Excludable moving expense
reimbursements paid directly to employee. Show the
total moving expense reimbursements that you paid
directly to your employee for qualified (deductible) moving
expenses. See Moving expenses.
Code Q—Nontaxable combat pay. If you are a
military employer, report any nontaxable combat pay in
box 12.
Code R—Employer contributions to an Archer
MSA. Show any employer contributions to an Archer
MSA. See Archer MSA.
Code S—Employee salary reduction contributions
under a section 408(p) SIMPLE plan. Show deferrals
under a section 408(p) salary reduction SIMPLE
retirement account. However, if the SIMPLE plan is part of
a section 401(k) arrangement, use code D. If you are
reporting prior year contributions under USERRA, see the
TIP above Code D in Box 12—Codes.
Code T—Adoption benefits. Show the total that you
paid or reimbursed for qualified adoption expenses
furnished to your employee under an adoption assistance
program. Also include adoption benefits paid or
reimbursed from the pre-tax contributions made by the
employee under a section 125 (cafeteria) plan. However,
do not include adoption benefits forfeited from a section
125 (cafeteria) plan. Report all amounts including those in
excess of the $13,570 exclusion. For more information,
see Adoption benefits.
Code V—Income from the exercise of nonstatutory
stock option(s). Show the spread (that is, the fair market
value of stock over the exercise price of option(s) granted
to your employee with respect to that stock) from your
employee's (or former employee's) exercise of
nonstatutory stock option(s). Include this amount in boxes
1, 3 (up to the social security wage base), and 5. Include
this amount in box 14 if you are a railroad employer.
This reporting requirement does not apply to the
exercise of a statutory stock option, or the sale or
disposition of stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of a
statutory stock option. For more information about the
taxability of employee stock options, see Pub. 15-B.
Code W—Employer contributions to a health
savings account (HSA). Show any employer
contributions (including amounts the employee elected to
contribute using a section 125 (cafeteria) plan) to an HSA.
See Health savings account (HSA).
Code Y—Deferrals under a section 409A
nonqualified deferred compensation plan. It is not
necessary to show deferrals in box 12 with code Y. For
more information, see Notice 2008-115. However, if you
report these deferrals, show current year deferrals,
including earnings during the year on current year and
prior year deferrals. See Nonqualified deferred
compensation plans under Special Reporting Situations
for Form W-2.

Code Z—Income under a nonqualified deferred
compensation plan that fails to satisfy section 409A.
Enter all amounts deferred (including earnings on
amounts deferred) that are includible in income under
section 409A because the NQDC plan fails to satisfy the
requirements of section 409A. Do not include amounts
properly reported on a Form 1099-MISC, corrected Form
1099-MISC, Form W-2, or Form W-2c for a prior year.
Also, do not include amounts that are considered to be
subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture for purposes of
section 409A. For more information, see Regulations
sections 1.409A-1, -2, -3, and -6; and Notice 2008-115.
The amount reported in box 12 using code Z is also
reported in box 1 and is subject to an additional tax
reported on the employee's Form 1040. See Nonqualified
deferred compensation plans under Special Reporting
Situations for Form W-2.
For information regarding correcting section 409A
errors and related reporting, see Notice 2008-113, Notice
2010-6, and Notice 2010-80.
Code AA—Designated Roth contributions under a
section 401(k) plan. Use this code to report designated
Roth contributions under a section 401(k) plan. Do not
use this code to report elective deferrals under code D.
See Designated Roth contributions.
Code BB—Designated Roth contributions under a
section 403(b) plan. Use this code to report designated
Roth contributions under a section 403(b) plan. Do not
use this code to report elective deferrals under code E.
See Designated Roth contributions.
Code DD—Cost of employer-sponsored health
coverage. Use this code to report the cost of
employer-sponsored health coverage. The amount
reported with code DD is not taxable. Additional
reporting guidance, including information about the
transitional reporting rules that apply, is available on
IRS.gov at Affordable Care Act (ACA) Tax Provisions.
Code EE—Designated Roth contributions under a
governmental section 457(b) plan. Use this code to
report designated Roth contributions under a
governmental section 457(b) plan. Do not use this code to
report elective deferrals under code G. See Designated
Roth contributions.
Code FF—Permitted benefits under a qualified
small employer health reimbursement arrangement.
Use this code to report the total amount of permitted
benefits under a QSEHRA. The maximum reimbursement
for an eligible employee under a QSEHRA is $4,950
($10,000 if it also provides reimbursements for family
members), before indexing for inflation.
Box 13—Checkboxes. Check all boxes that apply.
Statutory employee. Check this box for statutory
employees whose earnings are subject to social security
and Medicare taxes but not subject to federal income tax
withholding. Do not check this box for common-law
employees. There are workers who are independent
contractors under the common-law rules but are treated
by statute as employees. They are called statutory
employees.
1. A driver who distributes beverages (other than milk)
or meat, vegetable, fruit, or bakery products; or who picks
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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

up and delivers laundry or dry cleaning, if the driver is your
agent or is paid on commission.
2. A full-time life insurance sales agent whose
principal business activity is selling life insurance or
annuity contracts, or both, primarily for one life insurance
company.
3. An individual who works at home on materials or
goods that you supply and that must be returned to you or
to a person you name, if you also furnish specifications for
the work to be done.
4. A full-time traveling or city salesperson who works
on your behalf and turns in orders to you from
wholesalers, retailers, contractors, or operators of hotels,
restaurants, or other similar establishments. The goods
sold must be merchandise for resale or supplies for use in
the buyer's business operation. The work performed for
you must be the salesperson's principal business activity.
For details on statutory employees and common-law
employees, see section 1 in Pub. 15-A.
Retirement plan. Check this box if the employee was
an “active participant” (for any part of the year) in any of
the following.
1. A qualified pension, profit-sharing, or stock-bonus
plan described in section 401(a) (including a 401(k) plan).
2. An annuity plan described in section 403(a).
3. An annuity contract or custodial account described
in section 403(b).
4. A simplified employee pension (SEP) plan
described in section 408(k).
5. A SIMPLE retirement account described in section
408(p).
6. A trust described in section 501(c)(18).
7. A plan for federal, state, or local government
employees or by an agency or instrumentality thereof
(other than a section 457(b) plan).
Generally, an employee is an active participant if
covered by (a) a defined benefit plan for any tax year that
he or she is eligible to participate in or (b) a defined
contribution plan (for example, a section 401(k) plan) for
any tax year that employer or employee contributions (or
forfeitures) are added to his or her account. For additional
information on employees who are eligible to participate in
a plan, contact your plan administrator. For details on the
active participant rules, see Notice 87-16, 1987-1 C.B.
446; Notice 98-49, 1998-2 C.B. 365; section 219(g)(5);
and Pub. 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement
Arrangements (IRAs). You can find Notice 98-49 on
page 5 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 1998-38 at IRS.gov/
pub/irs-irbs/irb98-38.pdf. Also see Notice 2000-30, which
is on page 1266 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2000-25 at
IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb00-25.pdf.
Do not check this box for contributions made to a

TIP nonqualified or section 457(b) plan.

See the Form W-2 Box 13 Retirement Plan Checkbox
Decision Chart.
Third-party sick pay. Check this box only if you are a
third-party sick pay payer filing a Form W-2 for an
insured's employee or are an employer reporting sick pay
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

payments made by a third party. See section 6 of Pub.
15-A.
Box 14—Other. If you included 100% of a vehicle's
annual lease value in the employee's income, it also must
be reported here or on a separate statement to your
employee.
You also may use this box for any other information that
you want to give to your employee. Label each item.
Examples include state disability insurance taxes
withheld, union dues, uniform payments, health insurance
premiums deducted, nontaxable income, educational
assistance payments, or a minister's parsonage
allowance and utilities. In addition, you may enter the
following contributions to a pension plan: (a) nonelective
employer contributions made on behalf of an employee,
(b) voluntary after-tax contributions (but not designated
Roth contributions) that are deducted from an employee's
pay, (c) required employee contributions, and (d)
employer matching contributions.
If you are reporting prior year contributions under
USERRA (see the TIP above Code D in Box 12—Codes
and Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) makeup amounts to a
pension plan), you may report in box 14 makeup amounts
for nonelective employer contributions, voluntary after-tax
contributions, required employee contributions, and
employer matching contributions. Report such amounts
separately for each year.
Railroad employers, see Railroad employers for
amounts reportable in box 14.
Boxes 15 through 20—State and local income tax information (not applicable to Forms W-2AS, W-2CM,
W-2GU, or W-2VI). Use these boxes to report state and
local income tax information. Enter the two-letter
abbreviation for the name of the state. The employer's
state ID numbers are assigned by the individual states.
The state and local information boxes can be used to
report wages and taxes for two states and two localities.
Keep each state's and locality's information separated by
the broken line. If you need to report information for more
than two states or localities, prepare a second Form W-2.
See Multiple forms. Contact your state or locality for
specific reporting information.
Federal employers reporting income taxes paid to the
CNMI under the 5517 agreement, enter the employer’s
identification number in box 15. Enter the employee’s
CNMI wages in box 16. Enter the income taxes paid to the
CNMI in box 17. See Federal employers in the CNMI,
earlier, for more information.

Specific Instructions for Form W-3
How to complete Form W-3. The instructions under
How to complete Form W-2 generally apply to Form W-3.
Use black ink for all entries. Scanners cannot read entries
if the type is too light. Be sure to send the entire page of
the Form W-3.

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Amounts reported on related employment tax
TIP forms (for example, Forms W-2, 941, 941-SS,
943, or 944) should agree with the amounts
reported on Form W-3. If there are differences, you may
be contacted by the IRS and SSA. Retain your
reconciliation information for future reference. See
Reconciling Forms W-2, W-3, 941, 941-SS, 943, 944,
CT-1, and Schedule H (Form 1040).
Box a—Control number. This is an optional box that
you may use for numbering the whole transmittal.
Box b—Kind of Payer. Check the box that applies to
you. Check only one box. If you have more than one type
of Form W-2, send each type with a separate Form W-3.
Note. The “Third-party sick pay” indicator box does not
designate a separate kind of payer.
941. Check this box if you file Forms 941 or 941-SS
and no other category applies. A church or church
organization should check this box even if it is not
required to file Forms 941, 941-SS, or 944. If you are a
railroad employer sending Forms W-2 for employees
covered under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA),
check the “CT-1” box.
Military. Check this box if you are a military employer
sending Forms W-2 for members of the uniformed
services.
943. Check this box if you are an agricultural employer
and file Form 943 and you are sending Forms W-2 for
agricultural employees. For nonagricultural employees,
send their Forms W-2 with a separate Form W-3,
checking the appropriate box.
944. Check this box if you file Form 944 (or Formulario
944(SP), its Spanish-language version), and no other
category applies.
CT-1. Check this box if you are a railroad employer
sending Forms W-2 for employees covered under the
RRTA. Do not show employee RRTA tax in boxes 3
through 7. These boxes are only for social security and
Medicare information. If you also have employees who
are subject to social security and Medicare taxes, send
that group's Forms W-2 with a separate Form W-3 and
check the “941” checkbox on that Form W-3.
Hshld. emp. Check this box if you are a household
employer sending Forms W-2 for household employees
and you did not include the household employee's taxes
on Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, or 944.
Medicare govt. emp. Check this box if you are a U.S.,
state, or local agency filing Forms W-2 for employees
subject only to Medicare tax. See Government employers.
Box b—Kind of Employer. Check the box that applies
to you. Check only one box unless the second checked
box is “Third-party sick pay.” See Pub. 557, Tax-Exempt
Status for Your Organization, for information about 501(c)
(3) tax-exempt organizations.
None apply. Check this box if none of the checkboxes
discussed next apply to you.
501c non-govt. Check this box if you are a
non-governmental tax-exempt section 501(c)
organization. Types of 501(c) non-governmental
organizations include private foundations, public charities,
social and recreation clubs, and veterans organizations.

For additional examples of 501(c) non-governmental
organizations, see chapters 3 and 4 of Pub. 557.
State/local non-501c. Check this box if you are a state
or local government or instrumentality. This includes
cities, townships, counties, special-purpose districts,
public schools districts, or other publicly-owned entities
with governmental authority.
State/local 501c. Check this box if you are a state or
local government or instrumentality, and you have
received a determination letter from the IRS indicating that
you are also a tax-exempt organization under section
501(c)(3).
Federal govt. Check this box if you are a federal
government entity or instrumentality.
Box b—Third-party sick pay. Check this box if you are
a third-party sick pay payer (or are reporting sick pay
payments made by a third party) filing Forms W-2 with the
“Third-party sick pay” checkbox in box 13 checked. File a
single Form W-3 for the regular and “Third-party sick pay”
Forms W-2. See 941.
Box c—Total number of Forms W-2. Show the number
of completed individual Forms W-2 that you are
transmitting with this Form W-3. Do not count “Void”
Forms W-2.
Box d—Establishment number. You may use this box
to identify separate establishments in your business. You
may file a separate Form W-3, with Forms W-2, for each
establishment even if they all have the same EIN; or you
may use a single Form W-3 for all Forms W-2 of the same
type.
Box e—Employer identification number (EIN). Enter
the nine-digit EIN assigned to you by the IRS. The number
should be the same as shown on your Forms 941,
941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1, or Schedule H (Form 1040) and
in the following format: 00-0000000. Do not use a prior
owner's EIN. See Box h—Other EIN used this year.
If you do not have an EIN when filing your Form W-3,
enter “Applied For” in box e, not your social security
number (SSN), and see Box b—Employer identification
number (EIN).
Box f—Employer's name. Enter the same name as
shown on your Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1, or
Schedule H (Form 1040).
Box g—Employer's address and ZIP code. Enter your
address.
Box h—Other EIN used this year. If you have used an
EIN (including a prior owner's EIN) on Forms 941,
941-SS, 943, 944, or CT-1 submitted for 2017 that is
different from the EIN reported on Form W-3 in box e,
enter the other EIN used. Agents generally report the
employer's EIN in box h. See Agent reporting.
Employer's contact person, Employer's telephone
number, Employer's fax number, and Employer's
email address. Include this information for use by the
SSA if any questions arise during processing. SSA will
notify the employer by email or postal mail to correct and
resubmit reports from the information provided on Form
W-3.

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General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

!

Payroll service providers enter your client's
information for these fields.

CAUTION

The amounts to enter in boxes 1 through 19,
TIP described next, are totals from only the Forms
W-2 (excluding any Forms W-2 marked “Void”)
that you are sending with this Form W-3.
Boxes 1 through 8. Enter the totals reported in boxes 1
through 8 on the Forms W-2.
Box 9. Do not enter an amount in box 9.
Box 10—Dependent care benefits (not applicable to
Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, and W-2VI). Enter the
total reported in box 10 on Forms W-2.
Box 11—Nonqualified plans. Enter the total reported in
box 11 on Forms W-2.
Box 12a—Deferred compensation. Enter the total of all
amounts reported with codes D through H, S, Y, AA, BB,
and EE in box 12 on Forms W-2. Do not enter a code.

!

CAUTION

The total of Form W-2 box 12 amounts reported
with codes A through C, J through R, T through
W, Z, DD, and FF is not reported on Form W-3.

Box 13—For third-party sick pay use only. Leave this
box blank. See Form 8922.
Box 14—Income tax withheld by payer of third-party
sick pay. Complete this box only if you are the employer
and have employees who had federal income tax withheld
on third-party payments of sick pay. Show the total
income tax withheld by third-party payers on payments to
all of your employees. Although this tax is included in the
box 2 total, it must be separately shown here.
Box 15—State/Employer's state ID number (territorial
ID number for Forms W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, and
W-2VI). Enter the two-letter abbreviation for the name of
the state or territory being reported on Form(s) W-2. Also
enter your state- or territory-assigned ID number. If the
Forms W-2 being submitted with this Form W-3 contain
wage and income tax information from more than one
state or territory, enter an “X” under “State” and do not
enter any state or territory ID number.
Federal employers reporting income taxes paid to the
CNMI under the 5517 agreement, enter the employer’s
identification number in box 15. See Federal employers in
the CNMI, earlier, for more information.
Boxes 16 through 19 (not applicable to Forms
W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, and W-2VI). Enter the total of
state/local wages and income tax shown in their
corresponding boxes on the Forms W-2 included with this
Form W-3. If the Forms W-2 show amounts from more
than one state or locality, report them as one sum in the
appropriate box on Form W-3. Verify that the amount
reported in each box is an accurate total of the Forms
W-2.
Federal employers reporting income taxes paid to the
CNMI under the 5517 agreement, enter the total of CNMI
wages on the Forms W-2 in box 16. Enter the total of
income taxes shown on the Forms W-2 paid to the CNMI
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

in box 17. See Federal employers in the CNMI, earlier, for
more information.

Reconciling Forms W-2, W-3, 941, 941-SS, 943,
944, CT-1, and Schedule H (Form 1040)

Reconcile the amounts shown in boxes 2, 3, 5, and 7 from
all 2017 Forms W-3 with their respective amounts from
the 2017 yearly totals from the quarterly Forms 941 or
941-SS or annual Forms 943, 944, CT-1 (box 2 only), and
Schedule H (Form 1040). When there are discrepancies
between amounts reported on Forms W-2 and W-3 filed
with the SSA and on Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1,
or Schedule H (Form 1040) filed with the IRS, you will be
contacted to resolve the discrepancies.

!

To help reduce discrepancies on Forms W-2:

CAUTION

Report bonuses as wages and as social security and
Medicare wages on Form W-2, and on Forms 941,
941-SS, 943, 944, and Schedule H (Form 1040).
Report both social security and Medicare wages and
taxes separately on Forms W-2 and W-3, and on Forms
941, 941-SS, 943, 944, and Schedule H (Form 1040).
Report social security taxes withheld on Form W-2 in
box 4, not in box 3.
Report Medicare taxes withheld on Form W-2 in box 6,
not in box 5.
Do not report a nonzero amount in box 4 if boxes 3 and
7 are both zero.
Do not report a nonzero amount in box 6 if box 5 is
zero.
Do not report an amount in box 5 that is less than the
sum of boxes 3 and 7.
Make sure that the social security wage amount for
each employee does not exceed the annual social
security wage base limit ($127,200 for 2017).
Do not report noncash wages that are not subject to
social security or Medicare taxes as social security or
Medicare wages.
If you use an EIN on any quarterly Forms 941 or 941-SS
for the year (or annual Forms 943, 944, CT-1, or
Schedule H (Form 1040)) that is different from the EIN
reported in box e on Form W-3, enter the other EIN in box
h on Form W-3.
To reduce the discrepancies between amounts
reported on Forms W-2 and W-3, and Forms 941,
941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1, and Schedule H (Form 1040):
Be sure that the amounts on Form W-3 are the total
amounts from Forms W-2.
Reconcile Form W-3 with your four quarterly Forms 941
or 941-SS (or annual Forms 943, 944, CT-1, or
Schedule H (Form 1040)) by comparing amounts reported
for:
1. Income tax withholding (box 2).
2. Social security wages, Medicare wages and tips,
and social security tips (boxes 3, 5, and 7). Form W-3
should include Forms 941 or 941-SS or Forms 943, 944,
or Schedule H (Form 1040) adjustments only for the
current year. If the Forms 941, 941-SS, 943, or 944
adjustments include amounts for a prior year, do not
report those prior year adjustments on the current year
Forms W-2 and W-3.
-23-

3. Social security and Medicare taxes (boxes 4 and 6).
The amounts shown on the four quarterly Forms 941 or
941-SS (or annual Forms 943, 944, or Schedule H (Form
1040)), including current year adjustments, should be
approximately twice the amounts shown on Form W-3.
Amounts reported on Forms W-2 and W-3, and Forms
941, 941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1, or Schedule H (Form 1040)
may not match for valid reasons. If they do not match, you
should determine that the reasons are valid. Retain your
reconciliation information in case you receive inquiries
from the IRS or the SSA.

General Instructions for Forms W-2c
and W-3c
Applicable forms. Use with the current version of Form
W-2c and the current version of Form W-3c.
Purpose of forms. Use Form W-2c to correct errors on
Forms W-2, W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, W-2VI, or W-2c
filed with the SSA. Also use Form W-2c to provide
corrected Forms W-2, W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, W-2VI,
or W-2c to employees.
Corrections reported on Form W-2c may require you to
make corrections to your previously filed employment tax
returns using the corresponding “X” form, such as Form
941-X, Adjusted Employer's QUARTERLY Federal Tax
Return or Claim for Refund; Form 943-X, Adjusted
Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural
Employees or Claim for Refund; Form 944-X, Adjusted
Employer's ANNUAL Federal Tax Return or Claim for
Refund; or Form CT-1X, Adjusted Employer's Annual
Railroad Retirement Tax Return or Claim for Refund. See
section 13 of Pub. 15 (Circular E) and the Instructions for
Form CT-1X for more information. If you are making
corrections to a previously filed Schedule H (Form 1040),
see Pub. 926, Household Employer's Tax Guide. If an
employee repaid you for wages received in a prior year,
also see Repayments.
Do not use Form W-2c to report corrections to back
pay. Instead, see Pub. 957, Reporting Back Pay and
Special Wage Payments to the Social Security
Administration, and Form SSA-131, Employer Report of
Special Wage Payments.
Do not use Form W-2c to correct Form W-2G, Certain
Gambling Winnings. Instead, see the General Instructions
for Certain Information Returns for the current reporting
year.
Use Form W-3c to send Copy A of Form W-2c to the
SSA. Always file Form W-3c when submitting one or more
Forms W-2c.
E-filing Forms W-2c and W-3c. The SSA encourages
all employers to e-file using its secure BSO website.
E-filing can save you effort and helps ensure accuracy.
See E-filing.
Where to file paper Forms W-2c and W-3c. If you use
the U.S. Postal Service, send Forms W-2c and W-3c to:

Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
P.O. Box 3333
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18767-3333
If you use a carrier other than the U.S. Postal
Service, send Forms W-2c and W-3c to:
Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
Attn: W-2c Process
1150 E. Mountain Drive
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702-7997
See Pub. 15 (Circular E) for a list of IRS-designated
private delivery services.
Do not send Forms W-2, W-2AS, W-2CM,

TIP W-2GU, or W-2VI to either of these addresses.
W-3.

Instead, see Where to file paper Forms W-2 and

When to file. File Forms W-2c and W-3c as soon as
possible after you discover an error. Also provide Form
W-2c to employees as soon as possible.
How to complete. If you file Forms W-2c and W-3c on
paper, make all entries using dark or black ink in 12-point
Courier font, if possible, and make sure all copies are
legible. See How to complete Form W-2.
If any item shows a change in the dollar amount and
one of the amounts is zero, enter “-0-.” Do not leave the
box blank.
Who may sign Form W-3c. Generally, employers must
sign Form W-3c. See Who may sign Form W-3.

Special Situations for Forms W-2c
and W-3c
Undeliverable Forms W-2c. See Undeliverable Forms
W-2.

Correcting Forms W-2 and W-3
Corrections. Use the current version of Form W-2c to
correct errors (such as incorrect name, SSN, or amount)
on a previously filed Form W-2 or Form W-2c. File Copy A
of Form W-2c with the SSA. To e-file your corrections, see
Correcting wage reports.
If the SSA issues your employee a replacement card
after a name change, or a new card with a different social
security number after a change in alien work status, file a
Form W-2c to correct the name/SSN reported on the most
recently filed Form W-2. It is not necessary to correct the
prior years if the previous name and number were used
for the years prior to the most recently filed Form W-2.
File Form W-3c whenever you file a Form W-2c with the
SSA, even if you are only filing a Form W-2c to correct an
employee's name or SSN. However, see Employee's
incorrect address on Form W-2, later, for information on
correcting an employee's address. See Correcting an
incorrect tax year and/or EIN incorrectly reported on Form
W-2 or Form W-3, later, if an error was made on a
previously filed Form W-3.
-24-

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

If you discover an error on Form W-2 after you issue it
to your employee but before you send it to the SSA, check
the “Void” box at the top of the incorrect Form W-2 on
Copy A. Prepare a new Form W-2 with the correct
information, and send Copy A to the SSA. Write
“CORRECTED” on the employee's new copies (B, C, and
2), and furnish them to the employee. If the “Void” Form
W-2 is on a page with a correct Form W-2, send the entire
page to the SSA. The “Void” form will not be processed.
Do not write “CORRECTED” on Copy A of Form W-2.
If you are making a correction for previously filed Forms
941, 941-SS, 943, 944, or CT-1, use the corresponding
“X” forms, such as Forms 941-X, 943-X, 944-X, or CT-1X
for the return period in which you found the error. See
section 13 of Pub. 15 (Circular E) and the Instructions for
Form CT-1X for more details. If you are making
corrections to a previously filed Schedule H (Form 1040),
see Pub. 926. Issue the employee a Form W-2c if the
error discovered was for the prior year.
Correcting an employee's name and/or SSN only. If
you are correcting only an employee's name and/or SSN,
complete Form W-2c boxes d through i. Do not complete
boxes 1 through 20. Advise your employee to correct the
SSN and/or name on his or her original Form W-2.
If your employee is given a new social security card
following an adjustment to his or her resident status that
shows a different name or SSN, file a Form W-2c for the
most current year only.
Correcting an employee's name and SSN if the SSN
was reported as blanks or zeros and the employee
name was reported as blanks. If you need to correct an
employee's name and SSN, and the SSN was reported as
blanks or zeros and the employee's name was reported
as blanks, do not use Form W-2c to report the corrections.
You must contact the SSA at 1-800-772-6270 for
instructions.
Correcting an incorrect tax year and/or EIN incorrectly reported on Form W-2 or Form W-3. To correct an
incorrect tax year and/or EIN on a previously submitted
Form W-2 or Form W-3, you must prepare two sets of
Forms W-2c and W-3c.
Prepare one Form W-3c along with a Form W-2c for
each affected employee. On the Form W-3c, enter the
incorrect tax year in box a, and the incorrect EIN originally
reported in box h. Enter in the “Previously reported” boxes
the money amounts that were on the original Form W-2. In
the “Correct information” boxes, enter zeros.
Prepare a second Form W-3c along with a second
Form W-2c for each affected employee. On the Form
W-3c, enter the correct tax year in box a and/or the
correct EIN in box e. Enter zeros in the “Previously
reported” boxes, and enter the correct money amounts in
the “Correct information” boxes.
Correcting more than one Form W-2 for an employee.
There are two ways to prepare a correction for an
employee for whom more than one Form W-2 was filed
under the same EIN for the tax year. You can (1) consider
all the Forms W-2 when determining the amounts to enter
on Form W-2c or (2) file a single Form W-2c to correct
only the incorrect Form W-2.
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

However, state, local, and federal government
employers who are preparing corrections for Medicare
Qualified Government Employment (MQGE) employees
also must follow the instructions in the Caution for state,
local, and federal government employers in the Specific
Instructions for Form W-2c.
Correcting more than one kind of form. You must use
a separate Form W-3c for each type of Form W-2 (Forms
W-2, W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, W-2VI, or W-2c) being
corrected. You also must use a separate Form W-3c for
each kind of payer/employer combination in box c. If you
are correcting more than one kind of form, please group
forms of the same kind of payer/employer combination,
and send them in separate groups.
Employee's incorrect address on Form W-2. If you
filed a Form W-2 with the SSA that reported an incorrect
address for the employee, but all other information on the
Form W-2 was correct, do not file Form W-2c with the
SSA merely to correct the address.
However, if the address was incorrect on the Form W-2
furnished to the employee, you must do one of the
following.
Issue a new, corrected Form W-2 to the employee that
includes the new address. Indicate “REISSUED
STATEMENT” on the new copies. Do not send Copy A of
Form W-2 to the SSA.
Issue a Form W-2c to the employee that shows the
correct address in box i and all other correct information.
Do not send Copy A of Form W-2c to the SSA.
Reissue the Form W-2 with the incorrect address to the
employee in an envelope showing the correct address or
otherwise deliver it to the employee.
Two Forms W-2 were filed under the same EIN, but
only one should have been filed.
Example. Two Forms W-2 were submitted for Mary
Smith under the same EIN for the same tax year. One
Form W-2 correctly reported social security wages of
$20,000. The other Form W-2 incorrectly reported social
security wages of $30,000. There are two ways to correct
this situation.
File a Form W-3c along with one Form W-2c, entering
$50,000 in box 3 under “Previously reported” and $20,000
in box 3 under “Correct information,” or
File a Form W-3c along with one Form W-2c, entering
$30,000 in box 3 under “Previously reported” and $0.00 in
box 3 under “Correct information.”
Two Forms W-2 were filed under the same EIN, but
wages on one were incorrect.
Example. Two Forms W-2 were submitted for Mary
Smith under the same EIN for the same tax year. One
Form W-2 correctly reported social security wages of
$20,000. The other Form W-2 incorrectly reported social
security wages of $30,000, whereas $25,000 should have
been reported. There are two ways to correct this
situation.
File a Form W-3c along with one Form W-2c, entering
$50,000 in box 3 under “Previously reported” and $45,000
in box 3 under “Correct information,” or
File a Form W-3c along with one Form W-2c, entering
$30,000 in box 3 under “Previously reported” and $25,000
in box 3 under “Correct information.”
-25-

Specific Instructions for Form W-2c
Box a—Employer's name, address, and ZIP code.
This entry should be the same as shown on your Forms
941, 941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1, or Schedule H (Form 1040).
Box b—Employer's Federal EIN. Show the correct nine
digit EIN assigned to you by the IRS in the format
00-0000000.
Box c—Tax year/Form corrected. If you are correcting
Form W-2, enter all four digits of the year of the form you
are correcting. If you are correcting Form W-2AS, W-2CM,
W-2GU, W-2VI, or W-2c, enter all four digits of the year
you are correcting, and also enter “AS,” “CM,” “GU,” “VI,”
or “c” to designate the form you are correcting. For
example, “2015” and “GU” shows that you are correcting a
2015 Form W-2GU.
Box d—Employee's correct SSN. You must enter the
employee's correct SSN even if it was correct on the
original Form W-2. If you are correcting an employee's
SSN, you also must complete boxes e through i.
Box e—Corrected SSN and/or name. Check this box
only if you are correcting the employee’s SSN, name, or
both SSN and name. You also must complete boxes d
and f through i.
Box f—Employee's previously reported SSN.
Complete this box if you are correcting an employee’s
previously reported incorrect SSN and/or name. If the
previous SSN was reported as blanks or not available,
then box f should be all zeroes.
Box g—Employee's previously reported name.
Complete this box if you are correcting an employee’s
previously reported incorrect SSN and/or name. You must
enter the employee’s previously reported full name in box
g exactly as it was previously reported. If the previous
reported name was reported as blanks or not available,
then box g should be all blanks.
For boxes f and g, if both the previous SSN and
the previous name were reported as blanks, do
CAUTION not use Form W-2c. Contact the SSA at
1-800-772-6270.

!

Box h—Employee's first name and initial, Last name,
Suff. Always enter the employee's correct name. See
Boxes e and f—Employee's name and address for name
formatting information.
Box i—Employee's address and ZIP code. Always
enter the employee’s correct address. See Boxes e and
f—Employee’s name and address for address formatting
information.

!

You must enter the employee's full name in boxes
g and h.

CAUTION

Boxes 1 through 20. For the items you are changing,
enter under “Previously reported” the amount reported on
the original Form W-2 or on a prior Form W-2c. Enter
under “Correct information” the correct amount.
Do not make an entry in any of these boxes on Copy A
unless you are making a change. However, see the

CAUTION for state, local, or federal government
employers below.
Box 2—Federal income tax withheld. Use this box only
to make corrections because of an administrative error.
(An administrative error occurs only if the amount you
entered in box 2 of the incorrect Form W-2 was not the
amount you actually withheld.) If you are correcting Forms
W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI, box 2 is for income
tax withheld for the applicable U.S. possession.
Boxes 5 and 6. Complete these boxes to correct
Medicare wages and tips and Medicare tax withheld.
(Exception—do not correct Additional Medicare Tax
withheld unless you need to correct an administrative
error. An administrative error occurs only if the amount
you entered in box 6 of the incorrect Form W-2 is not the
amount you actually withheld.) State, local, or federal
government employers also should use these boxes to
correct MQGE wages. Box 5 must equal or exceed the
sum of boxes 3 and 7.
A state, local, or federal government employer
correcting only social security wages and/or social
CAUTION security tips (boxes 3 and/or 7) for an MQGE
employee also must complete Medicare wages and tips in
box 5. Enter the total Medicare wages and tips, including
MQGE-only wages, even if there is no change to the total
Medicare wages and tips previously reported.

!

Boxes 8, 10, and 11. Use these boxes to correct
allocated tips, dependent care benefits, or deferrals and
distributions relating to nonqualified plans.
Box 12—Codes. Complete these boxes to correct any of
the coded items shown on Forms W-2. Examples include
uncollected social security and/or Medicare taxes on tips,
taxable cost of group-term life insurance coverage over
$50,000, elective deferrals (codes D through H, S, Y, AA,
BB, and EE), sick pay not includible as income, and
employee business expenses. See Box 12—Codes in
Specific Instructions for Form W-2 for the proper format to
use in reporting coded items from box 12 of Forms W-2.
Employers should enter both the code and dollar
amount for both fields on Form W-2c.
If a single Form W-2c does not provide enough blank
spaces for corrections, use additional Forms W-2c.
Box 13. Check the boxes in box 13, under “Previously
reported,” as they were checked on the original Form
W-2. Under “Correct information,” check them as they
should have been checked. For example, if you checked
the “Retirement plan” box on the original Form W-2 by
mistake, check the “Retirement plan” checkbox in box 13
under “Previously reported,” but do not check the
“Retirement plan” checkbox in box 13 under “Correct
information.”
Box 14. Use this box to correct items reported in box 14
of the original Form W-2 or on a prior Form W-2c. If
possible, complete box 14 on Copies B, C, 1, and 2 of
Form W-2c only, not on Copy A.
Boxes 15 through 20—State/local taxes. If your only
changes to the original Form W-2 are to state or local
data, do not send Copy A of Form W-2c to the SSA.
-26-

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Instead, send Form W-2c to the appropriate state or local
agency and furnish copies to your employees.
Correcting state information. Contact your state or
locality for specific reporting information.

Specific Instructions for Form W-3c

Do not staple or tape the Forms W-2c to Form W-3c or to
each other. File a separate Form W-3c for each tax year,
for each type of form, and for each kind of payer/employer
combination. (The “Third-party sick pay” indicator box
does not designate a separate kind of payer or employer.)
Make a copy of Form W-3c for your records.
In the money boxes of Form W-3c, total the amounts
from each box and column on the Forms W-2c you are
sending.
Box a—Tax year/Form corrected. Enter all four digits
of the year of the form you are correcting and the type of
form you are correcting. For the type of form, enter “2,”
“2AS,” “2CM,” “2GU,” “2VI,” “2c,” “3,” “3SS,” or “3c.” For
example, entering “2015” and “2” indicates that all the
forms being corrected are 2015 Forms W-2.
Box b—Employer's name, address, and ZIP code.
This should be the same as shown on your Forms 941,
941-SS, 943, 944, CT-1, or Schedule H (Form 1040).
Include the suite, room, or other unit number after the
street address. If the post office does not deliver mail to
the street address and you use a P.O. box, show the P.O.
box number instead of the street address.
The IRS will not use Form W-3c to update your

TIP address of record. If you wish to change your
address, file Form 8822 or Form 8822-B.

Box c—Kind of Payer. Check the box that applies to
you. Check only one box. If your previous Form W-3 or
Form W-3SS was checked incorrectly, report your prior
incorrect payer type in the “Explain decreases here” area
below boxes 18 and 19.
941/941-SS. Check this box if you file Form 941 or
Form 941-SS. If you are a railroad employer sending
Forms W-2c for employees covered under the RRTA,
check the “CT-1” checkbox.
Military. Check this box if you are a military employer
correcting Forms W-2 for members of the uniformed
services.
943. Check this box if you file Form 943 and you are
correcting Forms W-2 for agricultural employees. For
nonagricultural employees, send Forms W-2c with a
separate Form W-3c, generally with the 941/941-SS box
checked.
944. Check this box if you file Form 944.
CT-1. Check this box if you are a railroad employer
correcting Forms W-2 for employees covered under the
RRTA. If you also have to correct forms of employees who
are subject to social security and Medicare taxes,
complete a separate Form W-3c with the “941/941-SS”
box or “944” box checked instead.
Hshld. emp. Check this box if you are a household
employer correcting Forms W-2 for household employees
and you file Schedule H (Form 1040). If you also have to
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

correct forms of employees who are not household
employees, complete a separate Form W-3c.
Medicare govt. emp. Check this box if you are a U.S.,
state, or local agency filing corrections for employees
subject only to Medicare taxes.
Box c—Kind of Employer. Check the box that applies
to you. Check only one box. If your previous Form W-3 or
W-3SS was checked incorrectly, report your prior
incorrect employer type in the “Explain decreases here”
area below boxes 18 and 19.
None apply. Check this box if none of the checkboxes
described next apply to you.
501c non-govt. Check this box if you are a
non-governmental tax-exempt 501(c) organization. Types
of 501(c) non-governmental organizations include private
foundations, public charities, social and recreation clubs,
and veterans organizations. For additional examples of
501(c) non-governmental organizations, see chapters 3
and 4 of Pub. 557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your
Organization.
State/local non 501c. Check this box if you are a state
or local government or instrumentality. This includes
cities, townships, counties, special-purpose districts,
public schools districts, or other publicly-owned entities
with governmental authority.
State/local 501c. Check this box if you are a state or
local government or instrumentality, and you have
received a determination letter from the IRS indicating that
you are also a tax-exempt organization under section
501(c)(3).
Federal govt. Check this box if you are a federal
government entity or instrumentality.
Box c—Third-party sick pay. Check this box if you are
a third-party sick pay payer (or are reporting sick pay
payments made by a third party) correcting Forms W-2
with the “Third-party sick pay” checkbox in box 13 of Form
W-2c under “Correct information” checked. File a
separate Form W-3c for each payer/employer
combination reporting “Third-party sick pay” on Form
W-2c.
Box d—Number of Forms W-2c. Show the number of
individual Forms W-2c filed with this Form W-3c or enter
“-0-” if you are correcting only a previously filed Form W-3
or Form W-3SS.
Box e—Employer's Federal EIN. Enter the correct
number assigned to you by the IRS in the following format:
00-0000000. If you are correcting your EIN, enter the
originally reported federal EIN you used in box h.
Box f—Establishment number. You may use this box
to identify separate establishments in your business. You
may file a separate Form W-3c, with Forms W-2c, for
each establishment or you may use a single Form W-3c
for all Forms W-2c. You do not have to complete this item;
it is optional.
Box g—Employer's state ID number. You are not
required to complete this box. This number is assigned by
the individual state where your business is located.
However, you may want to complete this item if you use
copies of this form for your state returns.
-27-

Box h—Employer's originally reported Federal EIN.
Your correct number must appear in box e. Make an entry
here only if the number on the original form was incorrect.
Box i—Incorrect establishment number. You may use
this box to correct an establishment number.
Box j—Employer's incorrect state ID number. Use
this box to make any corrections to your previously
reported state ID number.
Boxes 1 through 8, 10, and 11. Enter the total of
amounts reported in boxes 1 through 8, 10, and 11 as
“Previously reported” and “Correct information” from
Forms W-2c.
Box 12a—Deferred compensation. Enter the total of
amounts reported with codes D through H, S, Y, AA, BB,
and EE as “Previously reported” and “Correct information”
from Forms W-2c.

!

CAUTION

The total of Form W-2c box 12 amounts reported
with codes A through C, J through R, T through
W, Z, DD, and FF is not reported on Form W-3c.

Box 14—Inc. tax w/h by third-party sick pay payer.
Enter the amount previously reported and the corrected
amount of income tax withheld on third-party payments of
sick pay. Although this tax is included in the box 2
amounts, it must be shown separately here.
Boxes 16 through 19. If your only changes to the Forms
W-2c and W-3c are to the state and local data, do not
send either Copy A of Form W-2c or Form W-3c to the
SSA. Instead, send the forms to the appropriate state or
local agency and furnish copies of Form W-2c to your
employees.
Explain decreases here. Explain any decrease to
amounts “Previously reported.” Also report here any
previous incorrect entry in box c, “Kind of Payer” or “Kind
of Employer.” Enclose (but do not attach) additional
sheets explaining your decreases, if necessary. Include
your name and EIN on any additional sheets.
Signature. Sign and date the form. Also enter your title
and employer's contact person, employer's telephone
number, employer's fax number, and employer's email
address, if available. If you are not the employer, see Who
may sign Form W-3.

carry out the Internal Revenue laws of the United States.
We need it to figure and collect the right amount of tax.
Section 6051 and its regulations require you to furnish
wage and tax statements to employees, the Social
Security Administration, and the Internal Revenue
Service. Section 6109 requires you to provide your
employer identification number (EIN). Failure to provide
this information in a timely manner or providing false or
fraudulent information may subject you to penalties.
You are not required to provide the information
requested on a form that is subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act unless the form displays a valid OMB
control number. Books or records relating to a form or its
instructions must be retained as long as their contents
may become material in the administration of any Internal
Revenue law.
Generally, tax returns and return information are
confidential, as required by section 6103. However,
section 6103 allows or requires the Internal Revenue
Service to disclose or give the information shown on your
return to others as described in the Code. For example,
we may disclose your tax information to the Department of
Justice for civil and/or criminal litigation, and to cities,
states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths
and possessions for use in administering their tax laws.
We may also disclose this information to other countries
under a tax treaty, to federal and state agencies to
enforce federal nontax criminal laws, or to federal law
enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat
terrorism.
The time needed to complete and file these forms will
vary depending on individual circumstances. The
estimated average times are: Form W-2—30 minutes;
Form W-3—28 minutes; Form W-2c—40 minutes; Form
W-3c—51 minutes. If you have comments concerning the
accuracy of these time estimates or suggestions for
making these forms simpler, we would be happy to hear
from you. You can write to the Internal Revenue Service,
Tax Forms and Publications Division, 1111 Constitution
Ave. NW, IR-6526, Washington, DC 20224. Do not send
Forms W-2 and W-3 to this address. Instead, see Where
to file paper Forms W-2 and W-3.

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice.
We ask for the information on Forms W-2 and W-3 to

-28-

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Form W-2 Reference Guide for Box 12 Codes
A

Uncollected social security or RRTA tax on tips

K

20% excise tax on excess golden parachute
payments

V

Income from exercise of nonstatutory stock
option(s)

B

Uncollected Medicare tax on tips (but not
Additional Medicare Tax)

L

Substantiated employee business expense
reimbursements

W

Employer contributions (including employee
contributions through a cafeteria plan) to an
employee's health savings account (HSA)

C

Taxable cost of group-term life insurance over
$50,000

M

Uncollected social security or RRTA tax on
taxable cost of group-term life insurance over
$50,000 (former employees only)

Y

Deferrals under a section 409A nonqualified
deferred compensation plan

D

Elective deferrals under a section 401(k) cash
or deferred arrangement plan (including a
SIMPLE 401(k) arrangement)

N

Uncollected Medicare tax on taxable cost of
group-term life insurance over $50,000 (but not
Additional Medicare Tax) (former employees
only)

Z

Income under a nonqualified deferred
compensation plan that fails to satisfy
section 409A

E

Elective deferrals under a section 403(b) salary
reduction agreement

P

Excludable moving expense reimbursements
paid directly to employee

AA

Designated Roth contributions under a
section 401(k) plan

F

Elective deferrals under a section 408(k)(6)
salary reduction SEP

Q

Nontaxable combat pay

BB

Designated Roth contributions under a
section 403(b) plan

G

Elective deferrals and employer contributions
(including nonelective deferrals) to a section
457(b) deferred compensation plan

R

Employer contributions to an Archer MSA

DD

Cost of employer-sponsored health
coverage

H

Elective deferrals to a section 501(c)(18)(D)
tax-exempt organization plan

S

Employee salary reduction contributions under
a section 408(p) SIMPLE plan

EE

Designated Roth contributions under a
governmental section 457(b) plan

J

Nontaxable sick pay

T

Adoption benefits

FF

Permitted benefits under a qualified small
employer health reimbursement
arrangement

See Box 12—Codes.
Form W-2 Box 13 Retirement Plan Checkbox Decision Chart
Type of Plan

Conditions

Check Retirement Plan Box?

Defined benefit plan (for example, a traditional pension
plan)

Employee qualifies for employer funding into the plan,
due to age/years of service—even though the
employee may not be vested or ever collect benefits

Yes

Defined contribution plan (for example, a 401(k) or
403(b) plan, a Roth 401(k) or 403(b) account, but not a
457 plan)

Employee is eligible to contribute but does not elect to
contribute any money in this tax year

No

Defined contribution plan (for example, a 401(k) or
403(b) plan, a Roth 401(k) or 403(b) account, but not a
457 plan)

Employee is eligible to contribute and elects to
contribute money in this tax year

Yes

Defined contribution plan (for example, a 401(k) or
403(b) plan, a Roth 401(k) or 403(b) account, but not a
457 plan)

Employee is eligible to contribute but does not elect to Yes
contribute any money in this tax year, but the employer
does contribute funds

Defined contribution plan (for example, a 401(k) or
403(b) plan, a Roth 401(k) or 403(b) account, but not a
457 plan)

Employee contributed in past years but not during the
current tax year under report

No (even if the account value grows due to gains in the
investments)

Profit-sharing plan

Plan includes a grace period after the close of the plan
year when profit sharing can be added to the
participant's account

Yes

See Box 13—Checkboxes.

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

-29-

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Reporting Example Chart
Example

How to report on Form W-2

Example 1—Deferral, immediately vested (no risk of forfeiture).
Regular wages: $200
Defer, vested: $20
Employer match, vested: $10

Box 1 = $180 ($200 – $20)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $210 ($200 + $10)
Box 11 = $0

Example 2—Deferral, delayed vesting (risk of forfeiture) of employee and employer
portions.
Regular wages: $200
Defer, not vested: $20
Employer match, not vested: $10

Box 1 = $180 ($200 – $20)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $180 ($200 – $20)
Box 11 = $0

Example 3—Deferral, immediately vested. Prior year deferrals and employer
matches are now vesting.
Regular wages: $200
Defer, vested: $20
Vesting of prior-year deferrals and employer matches: $100 + $15 (earnings on
$100)

Box 1 = $180 ($200 – $20)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $315 ($200 + $100 + $15)
Box 11 = $115 ($100 + $15)

Example 4—No deferrals, but there are distributions. No vesting of prior year
deferrals.
Regular wages: $100
Distribution: $50

Box 1 = $150 ($100 + $50)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $100
Box 11 = $50

Special Rule for W-2 Box 11: Distributions and Deferrals in the Same Year—Form
SSA-131

If, in the same year, there are NQDC distributions and deferrals that are reportable
in boxes 3 and/or 5 (current or prior year deferrals), do not complete box 11.
Instead, report on Form SSA-131 the total amount the employee earned during the
year. Generally, the amount earned by the employee during the tax year for
purposes of item 6 of Form SSA-131 is the amount reported in box 1 of Form W-2
plus current year deferrals that are vested (employee and employer portions) less
distributions. Do not consider prior-year deferrals that are vesting in the current
year. If there was a plan failure, the box 1 amount in this calculation should be as if
there were no plan failure. Submit the Form SSA-131 to the nearest SSA office or
give it to the employee.

Example 5—Deferral, immediately vested, and distributions. No vesting of prior
year deferrals.
Regular wages: $200
Defer, vested: $20
Employer match, vested: $10
Distribution: $50

Box 1 = $230 ($200 – $20 + $50)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $210 ($200 + $10)
Box 11 = $0

Example 6—Deferral, delayed vesting, and distributions. No vesting of prior year
deferrals.
Regular wages: $200
Defer, not vested: $20
Distribution: $50

Box 1 = $230 ($200 – $20 + $50)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $180 ($200 – $20)
Box 11 = $50

Example 7—Deferral, immediately vested, and distributions. Prior-year deferrals
and employer matches are now vesting.
Regular wages: $200
Defer, vested: $20
Distribution: $50
Vesting of prior-year deferrals and employer matches: $100 + $15 (earnings on
$100)

Box 1 = $230 ($200 – $20 + $50)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $315 ($200 + $100 + $15)
Box 11 = $0

Example 8—Deferral, delayed vesting, and distributions. Prior-year deferrals and
employer matches are now vesting.
Regular wages: $200
Defer, not vested: $20
Distribution: $50
Vesting of prior-year deferrals and employer matches: $100 + $15 (earnings on
$100)

Box 1 = $230 ($200 – $20 + $50)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $295 ($200 – $20 + $100 + $15)
Box 11 = $0

Form SSA-131 = $210 ($230 (box 1) – $50 (distribution) + $30 (vested employee
and employer deferrals))

Form SSA-131 = $200 ($230 (box 1) – $50 (distribution) + $20 (vested deferral))

Form SSA-131 = $180 ($230 (box 1) – $50 (distribution))

See Nonqualified deferred compensation plans.

-30-

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Reporting Example Chart—(Continued)
Example

How to report on Form W-2

Special Rule for Payment of Social Security, Medicare, and Unemployment Taxes

Estimated Method
Under the estimated method, an employer may treat a reasonably estimated
amount as wages paid on the last day of the calendar year (the “first year”). If the
employer underestimates the amount deferred and, thereby, underdeposits social
security, Medicare, or FUTA taxes, it can choose to treat the shortfall as wages
either in the first year or the first quarter of the next year. The shortfall does not
include income credited to the amount deferred after the first year. Conversely, if
the amount deferred is overestimated, the employer can claim a refund or credit. If
the employer chooses to treat the shortfall as wages in the first year, the employer
must issue a Form W-2c. Also, the employer must correct the information on the
Form 941 for the last quarter of the first year. In such a case, the shortfall will not be
treated as a late deposit subject to penalty if it is deposited by the employer's first
regular deposit date following the first quarter of the next year.

If the amount cannot be reasonably ascertained (the employer is unable to
calculate an amount for a year by December 31), the employer can use two
methods. For example, immediately vested employer contributions to NQDC made
late in the year would have no effect on Form W-2, box 1, but they would affect
FICA and FUTA taxes.

Lag Method
Under the lag method, an employer may calculate the end-of-the-year amount on
any date in the first quarter of the next calendar year. The amount deferred will be
treated as wages on that date, and the amount deferred that would otherwise have
been taken into account on the last day of the first year must be increased by
income earned on that amount through the date on which the amount is taken into
account.
Section 409A NQDC Plan Failure
Example 9—Deferral, immediately vested. No distributions. Plan failure.
Plan balance on January 1, 2010: $325, vested
Regular wages: $100
Defer, vested: $50
Employer match, vested: $25
Plan failure in 2010.

Box 12, code Z = $400
Amount in the plan account on December 31, 2010, not subject to risk of
forfeiture and not included in prior-year income: $400 ($325 + $50 + $25)
Current-year distribution: $0
$400 ($0 + $400)
Box 1 = $450 ($100 – $50 + $400)
Boxes 3 and 5 = $125 ($100 + $25)
Box 11 = $0
Form SSA-131 = not required

Section 409A NQDC Plan Failure
Example 10—Deferral, some delayed vesting, and distributions. Plan failure.
Plan balance on January 1, 2010: $250 vested; $75 not vested
Regular wages: $100
Defer, vested: $50
Employer match, not vested: $25
Distribution: $200
Plan failure in 2010.
Vesting of prior-year deferrals and employer matches: $0

Box 12, code Z = $300
Amount in the plan account on December 31, 2010, not subject to risk of
forfeiture and not included in prior-year income: $100 ($250 + $50 – $200)
Current-year distribution: $200
$100 + $200 = $300
Box 1 = $350 ($100 – $50 + $300 (code Z amount, which already includes the
distribution))
Boxes 3 and 5 = $100
Box 11 = $0
Form SSA-131 = $100 ($250 (what box 1 would have been without plan failure) –
$200 (distribution) + $50 (vested deferral))

See Nonqualified deferred compensation plans.

General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2017)

-31-

Index
501(c) non-governmental organizations 22, 27
A
Additional Medicare Tax withheld 2, 10, 12, 17–19
Adoption benefits 7, 17, 20
Agent reporting 8
Agricultural employers 9, 22, 27
Allocated tips 17
American Samoa 6
Archer MSA 8, 16, 20
B
Bitcoin 13
Box 14—Other 21
Business Services Online (BSO) 2–4, 24
C
Calendar year basis 15
Clergy and religious workers 8
Codes for box 12, Form W-2 18, 26, 28
Code AA—Designated Roth contributions under
a section 401(k) plan 20
Code A—Uncollected social security or RRTA tax
on tips 18
Code BB—Designated Roth contributions under
a section 403(b) plan 20
Code B—Uncollected Medicare tax on tips 18
Code C—Taxable cost of group-term life
insurance over $50,000 18
Code DD—Cost of employer-sponsored health
coverage 20
Code D—Elective deferrals under section 401(k)
cash or deferred arrangement (plan) 19
Code EE—Designated Roth contributions under
a governmental section 457(b) plan 20
Code E—Elective deferrals under a section
403(b) salary reduction agreement 19
Code F—Elective deferrals under a section
408(k)(6) salary reduction SEP 19
Code FF—Permitted benefits under a qualified
small employer health reimbursement
arrangement 20
Code G—Elective deferrals and employer
contributions (including nonelective deferrals)
to any governmental or nongovernmental
section 457(b) deferred compensation
plan 19
Code H—Elective deferrals under section 501(c)
(18)(D) tax-exempt organization plan 19
Code J—Nontaxable sick pay 19
Code K—20% excise tax on excess golden
parachute payments 19
Code L—Substantiated employee business
expense reimbursements 19
Code M—Uncollected social security or RRTA
tax on taxable cost of group-term life
insurance over $50,000 (for former
employees). 19
Code N—Uncollected Medicare tax on taxable
cost of group-term life insurance over
$50,000 (for former employees) 19
Code P—Excludable moving expense
reimbursements paid directly to
employee 20
Code Q—Nontaxable combat pay 20
Code R—Employer contributions to an Archer
MSA 20
Code S—Employee salary reduction
contributions under a section 408(p) SIMPLE
plan 20
Code T—Adoption benefits 20
Code V—Income from the exercise of
nonstatutory stock option(s) 20
Code W—Employer contributions to a health
savings account (HSA) 20
Code Y—Deferrals under a section 409A
nonqualified deferred compensation plan 20
Code Z—Income under section 409A on a
nonqualified deferred compensation plan 20
Common errors 5
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 6
Control number 15, 22
Corrections 3, 24
Corrections and void Forms W-2 3, 15
Cost of employer-sponsored health coverage 4, 20

D
Deceased employee's wages 8
Deferred compensation 23, 28
Dependent care benefits 17, 23
Designated Roth contributions 9, 16, 20
Disability payments 3
Due date(s) 6
E
Earned income credit (EIC) notice 3
Educational assistance programs 9, 16
E-filing 3, 4, 24
Election workers 9
Elective deferrals 19
Electronic employee statements 3
Employee's name and address 15, 26
Employee's taxes paid by employer 9, 16
Employee business expense reimbursements 9,
16, 19
Employer's name and address 15, 22, 26, 27
Employer identification number (EIN) 15, 22, 26–28
Employment tax information 5
Establishment number 22, 27, 28
Extensions 6, 7
F
Federal employers in the CNMI 1, 10, 21
Federal income tax withheld 16
Foreign agricultural workers 10
Form 941 or 941-SS 22, 27
Form 944 3, 22, 27
Forms W-2 for U.S. possessions 3
Form W-2 Copy 1 6
Fringe benefits 10, 16
Furnishing Forms W-2 to employees 7
G
General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 5
General instructions for Forms W-2c and W-3c 24
Golden parachute payments 10, 19
Governmental section 457(b) plans 3
Government employers 10, 22, 27
Group-term life insurance 10, 17, 18
Guam 6
H
Health flexible spending arrangement (FSA) 2, 11
Health savings account (HSA) 11, 20
Help 4
Household employers 5, 9, 22, 27
How to complete a form 24
How to complete Form W-2 14
How to complete Form W-3 21
How to get forms and publications 5
I
Income tax withheld 26
Individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) 7, 15
Information reporting customer service site 4
IRS.gov 5
K
Kind of Employer 22, 27
Kind of Payer 22, 27
L
Lost Form W-2—reissued statement 11
M
Medicaid waiver payments 2
Medicare tax withheld 2, 12, 17
Medicare wages and tips 17
Military differential pay 4, 11
Military employers 18, 22, 27
Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA) 4
Moving expenses 11, 20
Multiple Forms W-2 issued to employee 15

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N
Nonqualified compensation plans 20
Nonqualified deferred compensation plans 4, 12
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Reporting
Example Chart 29, 30
Nonqualified plans 18, 23
Nonstatutory stock option(s) 20
Nontaxable combat pay 20
O
Other EIN 22
P
Penalties 13
Civil damages for fraudulent filing of Forms
W-2 14
Exceptions to the penalty 14
Failure to file correct information returns by the
due date 13
Failure to furnish correct payee statements 14
Intentional disregard of filing requirements 14
Intentional disregard of payee statement
requirements 14
Small businesses 14
Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice 28
Q
Qualified small employer health reimbursement
arrangement 20
R
Railroad employers 12, 22, 27
Reconciling Forms W-2, W-3, 941, 941-SS, 943, 944,
CT-1, and Schedule H (Form 1040) 23
Reference Guide for Form W-2 Box 12 Codes 28
Rejected wage reports 2
Repayments, wages received in error 12
Retirement Plan Checkbox Decision Chart 29
Retirement plans 21, 29
S
Same-sex marriage 2
Scholarship and fellowship grants 12
Severance payments 4
Shipping and mailing Form W-2 6
Sick pay 12, 19, 27, 28
Signing bonuses 17
SIMPLE retirement account 13, 17, 20
Social security number (SSN) 2, 7, 15, 26
Social security tax withheld 17
Social security tips 17
Social security wages 16
Special reporting situations for Form W-2 7
Special situations for Forms W-2c and W-3c 24
Specific instructions for Form W-2 14
Specific instructions for Form W-2c 26
Specific instructions for Form W-3 21
Specific instructions for Form W-3c 27
State and local tax information 21
State or local 501(c) organizations 22, 27
State or local non-501(c) organizations 22, 27
State or territorial ID number 23, 27, 28
Statutory employee 16, 20
Substitute forms 4
Successor/predecessor employers 13
T
Taxpayer identification numbers (TINs) 7, 15
Terminating a business 13
Third-party sick pay 22, 23, 27, 28
Third-party sick pay recap reporting 21
Tier 1 railroad retirement (RRTA) tax 8, 12
Tier 2 railroad retirement (RRTA) tax 8, 12
Tips 16–18
Total number of Forms W-2 22
TTY/TDD equipment 4
U
U.S. possessions 3, 6
Uncollected taxes on group-term life insurance 19
Uncollected taxes on tips 18

Undeliverable Forms W-2 7, 24
United States Virgin Islands 6
USERRA contributions 13, 19, 21
V
Virtual currency 13

Void Forms W-2 15, 24
W
Wages 16
Waiver from e-filing 3
When to file 6, 24

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When to furnish Forms W-2 to employees 7
Where to file 6, 24
Who may sign 5, 24, 28
Who must file 5