File an extension. You can get a free wage & income transcript from the IRS, but those are not usually available until May, so the extension would give you extra time.
You need to include all of your income, so you may as well file the extension to give yourself some more time to get a copy of the w-2. Your former employer is the best place to get it. If you have to go through SSA, copies cost over $100 each.
You can file a substitute W-2, but you won't be able to e-file with substitute forms in your return. That link has instructions. From the IRS - lost or missing w-2s; click for more information. Use your paycheck stubs to estimate your wages
Form 4852 serves as a substitute for Form W-2, Form W-2c, and Form 1099-R (original or corrected), and is completed by taxpayers or their representatives when:
- Their employer or payer does not give them a Form W-2 or Form 1099-R.
- An employer or payer has issued an incorrect Form W-2 or Form 1099-R.
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