A W-2 is the form your employer sends after the year ends that summarizes everything payroll did for you: how much you earned, how much federal and state income tax was withheld, and how much went to Social Security and Medicare. Its official name is the "Wage and Tax Statement."
You need it to file your personal tax return. The numbers on your W-2 go straight onto your 1040. The IRS gets a copy too, so what you report has to match.
When you get it
Employers are required to make your W-2 available by January 31 for the year that just ended. So your W-2 for 2026 wages arrives by January 31, 2027. In Payrollix these are batched after year-end close, typically mid-January, and show up in your portal once they're generated.
If it's past January 31 and there's still nothing, contact your employer's accountant — don't just wait.
Getting yours in Payrollix
Your W-2 lives in the Employee Portal under Tax Documents, alongside past years (up to five). The full step-by-step — picking the year, downloading the PDF, what to do if it's not there yet — is in Paystubs & tax documents. Downloads are web-only; you can't pull a W-2 from the mobile app.
Save the PDF. You'll want it when you file, and if you use tax software or a preparer, you'll either upload it or type the box numbers in by hand.
A tour of the key boxes
The form is a grid of numbered and lettered boxes. The ones that matter most:
- Box 1 — Wages, tips, other compensation. Your federally taxable wages. This is usually lower than your total gross pay, because pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions and pre-tax health premiums come out before this number is figured. This is the box that feeds the wages line on your 1040.
- Box 2 — Federal income tax withheld. The total federal income tax your employer sent to the IRS from your checks all year. Your W-4 controlled this.
- Box 3 — Social Security wages. The wages Social Security tax was charged on, capped at the annual wage base ($184,500 for 2026). Often a different number than Box 1.
- Box 4 — Social Security tax withheld. 6.2% of Box 3.
- Box 5 — Medicare wages and tips. The wages Medicare tax was charged on. No cap, so this is often the largest wage box.
- Box 6 — Medicare tax withheld. 1.45% of Box 5, plus the extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on any wages over $200,000.
- Box 12 — Coded amounts. A catch-all with letter codes: D is 401(k) contributions, DD is the cost of your employer health coverage (informational, not taxable), W is HSA contributions, and more. Each code has a specific meaning printed on the back of the form.
- Box 16 / Box 17 — State wages / state income tax. Your state's version of Boxes 1 and 2. If you worked in more than one state during the year, you may see more than one row here.
- Box 18 / 19 / 20 — Local wages, local tax, and locality name — only if your city, county, or school district charges a local income tax.
Boxes 1, 3, and 5 being three different numbers is normal and expected — see Why your W-2 Box 1 is lower than your gross pay for exactly why.
Related: Paystubs & tax documents · Why your W-2 Box 1 is lower than your gross pay · How to fill out your W-4.