What Date Do W-2s Have to Be Mailed By?
Understand crucial W-2 deadlines for timely tax filing and employer compliance. Ensure accurate reporting for all.
The Form W-2 is a document employers issue to report an employee’s annual wages and the taxes withheld from their paychecks. This form provides employees with information for tax returns and supplies the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) with data for tracking earnings and benefits. Adhering to the established W-2 deadlines is important for both parties, ensuring compliance with tax regulations for employers and enabling timely tax filing for employees.
The Primary Deadline for Employees
Employers are required to furnish Form W-2 to their employees by January 31st of each year. This deadline applies universally, whether the W-2 is delivered through traditional mail or electronically. Mailed W-2s must be postmarked by January 31st. If January 31st falls on a weekend or a legal holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day.
Employees need the W-2 by this date to prepare their federal and state income tax returns, typically due by April 15th. Employers choosing electronic delivery must first obtain explicit consent from each employee, ensuring they can access the statement in the provided electronic format. Without this consent, a paper copy must be provided.
Employer Filing Deadlines with the SSA
Employers must also file Copy A of Form W-2 and Form W-3, the Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, with the Social Security Administration (SSA) by January 31st. This deadline is the same for both paper and electronic submissions. The SSA uses this information to track employee earnings for Social Security and Medicare benefits.
A significant change in recent regulations requires employers to file electronically if they submit 10 or more information returns, including W-2s, in a calendar year. This threshold is an aggregate across all types of information returns, not just W-2s. While the January 31st deadline is firm, employers facing extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters or data loss, may request a 30-day extension to file with the SSA by submitting Form 8809. However, this extension is not automatic and does not extend the deadline for providing W-2s to employees.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Employers face IRS penalties for failing to meet W-2 mailing and filing deadlines or submitting incorrect information. These penalties are structured to increase in severity based on how late the forms are filed or corrected. For 2025, filing within 30 days after January 31st incurs a $60 per form penalty, with maximum limits based on business size.
Penalties increase to $130 per form if filed more than 30 days late but by August 1st, and $340 per form if filed on or after August 1st or not at all. Incorrect information, such as errors in names or Social Security numbers, also incurs penalties ranging from $60 to $340 per form based on correction timeliness.
Intentional disregard, a willful failure to file or provide correct information, incurs a more severe penalty. For 2025, the penalty for intentional disregard is $680 per form with no maximum limit. Additionally, employers required to file electronically who submit paper forms may also incur penalties.