Does your control number stay the same each year

smith_kaila — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 05:31:41 GMT

If its the same job does your control number stay the same?

Not necessarily; and in fact it probably shouldn't, for d...

GeoffreyG — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 05:31:43 GMT

Not necessarily; and in fact it probably shouldn't, for data security reasons. However, the actual Control Number assigned for your W-2 in any given year is up to the discretion of your employer's payroll department or payroll outsourcing firm. So, if you are in your same job and working for the same company as last year, it's possible that your employer used the prior year Control Number for your W-2 this year that it did for last's year's W-2.

But there is no guarantee of that, and, for privacy and security reasons, we may hope that they did not (for the very same reason that it is wise to occasionally change your computer passwords).

Please let us explain.

The Box D Control Number is a code that uniquely identifies your unique W-2 document in your employer's records. This number is assigned by the company's payroll processing software, and is needed if attempting to electronically import your W-2 into a tax software program (like TurboTax). Please note that not all W-2s (or employers) will necessarily include or support a Box D Control number. Your alternative to importing a W-2 document is to simply input the information manually.

The actual Control Number itself is not necessary in completing your tax return, unless you wish to import your W-2 into TurboTax (or other tax software); and it that one instance it is required. In other words, the W-2 Control Number, whatever it is, will never increase or decrease your actual tax refund (or your amount owed) by a single penny.

If you choose to type in your W-2 manually, rather than importing it electronically, then you should not have to enter anything from Box D at all, if you do not want to. In fact, you can simply leave the field blank. The exceptions to that would be if you are attempting to e-file your return and see some sort of W-2 Control Number related error; or if the program insists on a value before allowing you to continue. In those cases, we have a TurboTax FAQ article that can help. We've linked that FAQ page for you, directly below this answer.

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 TurboTax Deluxe 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.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/4417180

topic Does your control number stay the same each year in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Does your control number stay the same each year

Not necessarily; and in fact it probably shouldn't, for d...