Reporting Wages Without a W-2

[user17755792518]

How does one report wages in TurboTax for Desktop from an employer who did not issue a W-2?

The only options on the Wages & Income page seems to be Miscellaneous Income, then either:

1. Other income not already reported on a Form W-2, but that forces one to complete either Forms 8919 (treated as independent contractor) or/and SS-8 (asking IRS to determine employee status) - neither applies to this situation; OR
2. Other reportable income, which is then not carried over to either the Earned Income or Standard Deduction worksheets.

Note: this is not for a someone who is an independent contractor, but for an hourly wage-earning employee.

Thank you.

[DaveF1006 · Accepted solution]

To ensure the income is treated as earned income and flows correctly to your 1040, follow these steps to trigger Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2).

1. Go to the W-2 Section: Navigate to Federal Taxes > Wages & Income. Even though you don’t have the physical form, click Start or Update next to Wages and Salaries (Form W-2). 
2. Add a W-2: Select Add a W-2. If prompted to "Work on your W-2 now," click through.
3. The "Workaround" Entry: TurboTax will ask for the Employer ID Number (EIN). If you have it from a paystub, enter it. If not, you can try entering 9 zeros. When you get to the screen where you'd normally type in your box amounts, leave the boxes empty for a moment and look for a checkbox or a button that says "I need to substitute a form" or "I didn't get a W-2." 
4. On the screen asking how you want to enter your W-2, select "I'll type it in myself."
5. Enter the employer information as best as you can from your final paystub.
6. Look for a checkbox at the bottom of the screen (or on a subsequent "Special Situations" screen) that says: "I did not receive a W-2 from my employer and need to complete a substitute form."
7. Explain the Situation: Once you check that box, TurboTax will generate Form 4852. You will be asked:

• How you determined the income/withholding amounts (e.g., "Calculated from year-to-date totals on final paystub dated MM/DD/YYYY").
• What efforts you made to get the W-2 (e.g., "Contacted HR on three occasions; company has since ceased operations").

[pk]

@user17755792518 , absolutely agreeing with my colleague @DaveF1006  for a very definitive way to ensure proper entry of data, I just wonder about a more basic information about the situation.  You mentioned this is an  "hourly employee / wage earner ". 

1.  Thus my question is     did the person get monthly / periodic  pay stub or just got paid ( but with no paperwork ) ?

2. Did the payor/employer withhold  taxes  -- federal, State and FICA ?

3. What type of work was the "person" performing ?

I ask because there are many situations where the  worker  considers himself/herself to be an employee  and gets paid periodically but the "employer" considers the worker as  hourly non-employee -- rightly or wrongly.   Withholding taxes is generally a reasonable  marker that the "employer" considers the worker  and "employee" and not a "gig" worker.  However, the "employer" is still supposed to provide some documentation -- W-2  pr 1099-NEC  etc. 

[user17755792518]

Thank you DaveF1006, this put me on track to work out how to enter the data and get it to appear on other relevant forms.

Note that these steps may vary a little depending on TT desktop version and operating system involved. TT shows more exact steps once one gets to the "I need to substitute a form" or "I didn't get a W-2" screen and clicks on the "?" icon. 

[user17755792518]

No, this is an hourly employee who did get a W-2 in 2024, but for some reason didn't get one in 2025.

[VolvoGirl]

Then you have to ask the employer for a W2 or another copy.   Or find out why there’s no W2.   Maybe it’s posted on the employer website to download a copy.   Did they take any Social Security and Medicare taxes out of their pay?