Please do not file a tax return using just your paystub . . . at least not without first following
proper IRS procedures, as this will only cause an unnecessary delay in
processing your tax return. The IRS has strict guidelines about filing a
tax return without a W-2. Please continue reading for a full explanation.
Federal law says that your employer
has until the end of January to mail your W-2 to you. Even if your
employer has gone out of business, you, as an individual taxpayer, are
required to wait at least until February 15th to contact the IRS and ask
for permission to file without a W-2. You are also asked (by the IRS)
to attempt to contact your employer (or your former employer) and
inquire about the mailing of the W-2 statement.
After that
time, and after receiving permission from the IRS by telephone, you can
file your tax return using your paycheck stubs as an estimate.
The formal process and sequence of events is outlined here, at the following webpages:
https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/missing-your-w2-here-is-what-to-dohttps://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901028-what-if-it-s-february-but-i-still-don-t-have-my-w-2Please also know that if you do need to prepare a Form 4852
(Substitute W-2 Statement), as approved by the IRS, that TurboTax contains
this tax form within the software program.
While you can certainly enter some "best guess" paycheck value into TurboTax now, as a sort of placeholder, to obtain a rough estimate of your expected tax refund, just don't file this tax return. It's likely that you'll need to correct the tax return before filing, either by adding the actual W-2 when you get it, or if you never do receive one, then by deleting your (missing W-2) entry and substituting Form 4852 instead.
If you have further
questions, encounter any difficulties, or just want to speak with a live tax
expert who can walk you through your TurboTax entries (including the ability to
screen-share with your computer), please feel free to contact us. We
would be happy to help you (and as a paying TurboTax customer, the call is free to
you). Here is a link where you can create a support ticket and reach us:
https://support.turbotax.intuit.com/contact/
Thank you for asking this important question.
