My W2 Does Not Have a Control Number. What Do I Do?
Demystify your W-2: Understand why a missing control number isn't a problem for tax filing and confidently complete your return.
The Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, is a fundamental document for reporting income and withheld taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Many taxpayers encounter situations where their W-2 form does not include a control number.
Understanding the W-2 Control Number
Box D on Form W-2 is designated for reporting a control number. This number serves as an internal identifier, typically assigned by an employer’s payroll processing software. Its primary purpose is to uniquely identify your W-2 form within the employer’s records, especially when managing a large number of employees.
The control number is an optional field for employers, meaning not all W-2 forms will have one. It helps some electronic filing platforms or tax software verify the authenticity of the W-2 data when importing information directly from a payroll provider. This number is not a mandatory requirement from the IRS, and its presence or absence does not affect the accuracy of the reported income or tax withholding.
Necessity for Tax Filing
The W-2 control number is not required for filing federal income tax returns (Form 1040) with the IRS. The IRS primarily uses other key identifiers, such as your Social Security Number and your employer’s Employer Identification Number (EIN), to process your tax return and match the information reported.
While some tax preparation software may prompt for this number, it is often for specific functionalities like directly importing data from an employer’s payroll system. If you are manually entering your W-2 information into tax software, the control number is not needed. The crucial information for tax filing includes your wages, tips, other compensation, and federal and state tax withholding amounts.
Guidance for Filing Without a Control Number
For federal e-filing, if your tax software requests a control number and none is provided on your W-2, you can typically leave the field blank. Some software may allow entering all zeros (000000) or a placeholder if an entry is strictly required, but a blank field is generally acceptable.
If you are attempting to import your W-2 into tax software and it insists on a control number that is missing, you should select the option to manually enter your W-2 information. While contacting your employer for the number is an option, it is often unnecessary for federal filing.