Is it normal to have nothing in box 1 of my w2 but have amounts in boxes 3 and 5?

[amazon526]

Box 1 is completely blank but boxes 3 and 5 have amounts in them.

[IsabellaG]

It's unusual, but it's certainly possible. This would happen if you received third party sick pay, and you would see box 12 with code J. If you have zero in box 1, don't enter this into TurboTax, because you won't be able to e-file your return with this type of W-2.

If this isn't your situation, you should contact the sender to find out what this W-2 represents.

[mmkfk2]

Thank you for your info, but my question is that, do I need to add the amount earned from an empty Box 1, W2 to the gross income or not. the Turbo tax did not add this amount to the gross amount earned.

for example,

I earned $ 20.000 and $10.000 from an empty Box 1 W2. the turbo only adds $ 20.000 and not added the other $10.000. so is it ok?  or I need to add this 10000 to the 20000 manually?

[BillM223]

"I earned $ 20.000 and $10.000 from an empty Box 1 W2"

Sorry, but I have no idea what this means. Is there a number in box 1 on your W-2, or is it empty? You seem to be saying both at the same time.

[mmkfk2]

I have worked in two different companies.

one W2 with empty BOX 1, all other information is present in this W2, from BOX 3  till Box 6.

the second W2 is a normal one. BOX 1 is NOT empty.

this is not a mistake because I contact my first company, and they said the W2 is correct.

so the question is that do I need to add the earned wages from the first W2 to the second W2 from the second company because the turbo software did not add both. or send the file as it is.

Thank you

[BillM223]

On the first W-2, I assume that you had an entry in box 12 like a code J with the same dollar amount as what was in box 3 and 5.

If this is the case, then your amount was removed from Wages in box 1 and in this case made your income zero.

You would enter both W-2s, with the gross income being that of the second W-2 (i.e., the "empty" box 1 on the first W-2 would be added to it).

If the first W-2 with the empty box 1 does not have any entries in Box 12, then I have to wonder what the employer is trying to do.

But I want to make sure I understand what you are saying: "do I need to add the earned wages from the first W2 to the second W2"

Your earned wages are in box 1 and you say that one W-2 has nothing in box 1, so what would you be adding?

If you are asking about boxes 3 and 5, these numbers do not appear on your income tax return anyway, 

Oh, are you asking if you should enter only one W-2 with the entries being the sum of the boxes on the two W-2s? No, if the W-2s came from two different companies, then enter them separately.

[mmkfk2]

Thanks for your response, but Box 12 in my first W2 is not empty, it has a letter DD 3427.20 which is totally different than my gross income. they put my gross income in Box 3 and Box 5,

Box 4  has a value of 1553.08 and Box 6 has a 363.22. 

they add my gross income to Box 16 (state wages, tip) as well.

I understand that the two W2 should be entered separately. I am only concern about my first W2 do I need to enter the gross value which is mentioned in Box 3,5,12 to the total gross income. because the turbo did not add the gross income from the first W2(empty Box 1) to the second one(has a value in Box1), the software only calculates the second W2 without adding any value from the first W2 and did not allow me to e-file too.

[BillM223]

By dividing your box 4 amount by 0.062 (the Social Security tax rate), I now see that you did have a gross income much larger than the code DD amount.

What explanation did that employer give you for not reporting your Wages in Box 1? I have trouble imagining what their reason might be, and this would certainly cause your income to be understated - which will upset the IRS.

You need to talk to your employer about this, because they should have sent a copy of your W-2 to the IRS. If you file as is, you risk penalties and interest when the IRS figures out that there should have been a number in box 1, and if you add what appears to be the correct amount that should have been in box 1, then when the IRS receives your return, it won't match the copy of the W-2 that they already have (this usually generates a letter and slows your refund).

Ask your employer for a plausible explanation (I'd like to hear it), or get them to issue you a corrected W-2.

[mmkfk2]

Thank you, but the same issue happened with me last year, this is why I left this company, and my refund was delayed and slow down .... this is why I don't like to file this year unless being sure about it. some turbo experts helped me to make the amendment.

I insert value in Box1 while it was, empty last year, so I will send it this year as it should be in the W2 so it matches the company W2 sent to IRS.

and I will not add the gross income from this W2 to the second one. what do you think?

Thank you again for your help:)

[BillM223]

I would not advise filing your W-2 as is. If you actually had wages from this company even if they didn't report them in box 1 of your W-2, then using this W-2 as-is would seriously under report your income, which is worse in the eyes of the IRS than filing a W-2 that doesn't match the copy that the IRS already has.

If your company refuses to give you a correct W-2, then you will have to report your actual wages in box 1 (the empty box) even though it will cause delays and letters from the IRS. 

It sounds like you will do well to be rid of that employer.