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How to Print W-2 Forms with the QuickBooks Desktop & Online

At the end of each fiscal year, around January or February, every employee receives a Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement from their employer. The employers have to keep three copies of the W-2 Form and send it to three different parties- the federal government, the state government, and the employee to inform them about the employee’s total income and the percentage withheld from it by the employer as tax (both federal and state). QB users can create and print W-2 forms with the QuickBooks Desktop and Online by following the detailed process mentioned in the blog below. Read it till the end.

“The steps to print W2 forms with the QuickBooks application needs some expert overview to avoid any mistake while drafting or printing out the tax forms. To surf on the safer side, Dial QuickBooks Payroll Support Number 1-(855)-542-9309 and get immediate assistance from a QB expert”

You may also see: How to Fix QuickBooks Error 15241

What are the Requirements to Print W-2s Form in QuickBooks Desktop?

Before the users create employee W2 in QuickBooks and print it, they need to make sure that the prerequisites mentioned below are fulfilled.

  1. The QuickBooks version with which the user is printing the W-2s must be supported or compatible with the Windows OS version installed on the desktop.
  2. The user must have the latest release of the payroll tax table so QuickBooks can calculate the correct tax amount per the latest tax rates and print them on the form.
  3. The user must have W-2 papers compatible with their payroll service and the printer. It is advised to use only the pre-printed forms for the inkjet printer. For laser printers, blank or perforated papers can also be used if the pre-printed forms are not available.
  4. The user must have an active subscription to QuickBooks Payroll Standard or Enhanced Service.

Note: The form is not available with the QuickBooks Payroll Basic Service. However, the user can manually complete the form by creating a Payroll Summary Report.

What are the Steps for Printing W-2 Forms with QuickBooks Desktop?

Below are given the instructions to print W-2 Forms with the QuickBooks Desktop. Follow them step-by-step.

Step- 1: Get the W-2 and W-3 Forms from the QuickBooks Application

  1. Open QuickBooks Desktop and go to the Employees menu.
  2. Click on Payroll Tax Forms and W-2s and select Process Payroll Forms.
  3. Under the File Forms tab, select Annual Form W-2 / W-3 – Wage and Tax Statement Transmittal from the list of forms. If you cannot locate the form from the list, then scroll down a little further as it might be below the previewed list, or it may be inactive. To activate the form, follow the given steps.
    1. Select the Forms drop-down arrow and click on Make a New Form Active.
    2. Click on the State drop-down arrow and select Federal.
    3. Choose the W-2 form and select the Add Form option.
  4. Select the Create Form button and choose the Employee’s Last Name (select from and to for batch-wise filing) in the Process W-2s for the field. However, if you want to file the forms for all the employees right away, click on All Employees.
  5. Go to the Select Filing Period section and mention the form’s year that you are printing under the Year field.

Note: The QB Desktop stores only one version of the tax form and might not print the information in their allocated locations (while printing the forms for 2016 or before) if the user had already received the 2017 version of the form.

  1. Choose the employees you are printing the form for under the Select Employees for Form W-2 / W-3 window. If you want to select all the employees displaying on the screen, click on Mark All.
  2. Select Review / Edit if you want to review the forms or make changes to them.
  3. Click on Submit Form and select Print / E-File.
  4. The Print W-2 and W-3 Forms window will open, and the items that the user has to print will be listed by recipients (For Employees, For Employer, and For Government).

Step- 2: Choose the Paper Type and the Item to Print in the Print W-2 and W-3 Forms Window

Note: The user can print only one item at a time, but the window will stay open, allowing them to come back and print another item without closing and reopening it.

  1. Choose either Blank / Perforated Paper or Pre-printed Forms: May require alignment in the Select paper section.
  2. Under the Select item to print section, choose either of the options given in the window.
For Employees
  • If the user is printing on Blank / Perforated Paper
  1. 3 per page: copies B, 2, C
  2. 4 per page: B, 2, 2, C
  • If the user is printing on Pre-printed Forms (All the copies need to be printed at least 1 time per page if only for 1 employee)
  1. W-2 – Copy B: for employee’s federal tax return, 2 per page
  2. W-2 – Copy 2: for your State or Local Tax Department, 2 per page
  3. W-2 – Copy C: for employee records, 2 per page

Note: Employee filing instructions are required if not already printed on the papers.

  • For Employer (While Printing on Pre-printed forms)
  1. W-2 – Copy D: for the user’s records, 2 per page (1 per page if printing for only 1 employee)
  2. Employer  filing instructions: for W-2 and W-3 form
  • For Government (While Printing on Pre-printed forms)
  1. W-3 per page
  2. W-2 – Copy A: for the SSA, 2 per page (1 per page if printing for only 1 employee)
  3. W-2 – Copy 1: for the State or Local Tax Department, 2 per page (1 per page if printing for only 1 employee)

Note: There is no need to mail the Copy A if the user is not filing the W-2 and W-3 forms electronically with the SSA.

Step- 3: Send the Form to the PDF Reader and Continue Printing

  1. Perform a print test to verify and make necessary changes in the pre-printed forms alignment before printing them. However, skip this step if you are using Blank / Perforated Forms.
  2. Select Print PDF and wait till the forms export to the PDF Reader.
  3. Initiate the printing inside the PDF Reader when you are ready.

Step- 4 (Optional): Save the Forms locally and Send Out though Email

  1. Go to the Payroll Tax Form page and select Save as PDF.
  2. Choose the location where you want to save the W-2s drafts and select Save.
  3. Now, open the PDF on Adobe Reader and click on File.
  4. Select Send and click on Page by Email.

What are the Steps to Print W-2 Form in QuickBooks Payroll with the Help of the Self Print Option?

If you use the Payroll Assisted version on your QuickBooks Desktop, you can generate W2 in QuickBooks via the Self Print option by following the given steps.

  1. Open QuickBooks and go to the Employees menu.
  2. Click on Payroll Center and select the View / Print Forms & W-2s option.
  3. Verify your payroll PIN and click on the W-2 tab.
  4. If you want to print forms for all the employees, click on the checkbox against the Employee or choose the name/s of the employee/s as per your need.
  5. Select the Open / Save Selected option and choose either of the reasons for printing the W-2s if the Print Instructions window comes up on the screen.
    • If the employee is receiving the W-2 for the first time, select the first option – I’m printing original employee W-2s.
    • If the prior W-2  form is lost or damaged, select the second option – I’m printing replacement employee W-2s.
    • If you are printing the W-2 as a company record, select the third option – I’m printing W-2s for my records.
  6. Load the correct paper into your printer after the message about printing paper appears on the screen, as per your selection in the last step.
  7. As the Adobe Reader file opens with your W-2 selections, go to the File menu and select Print to print the W-2s.

Note: In case if the user does not have the perforated paper (that has instructions for filing the W-2 forms) at the time of the printing, they can print it on plain paper with the condition that they also provide proper W-2 filing instructions to the concerned employee.

Where can I Print W2 in QuickBooks Online?

Users can also print W-2 forms with the QuickBooks Online by following the steps mentioned below.

  1. Open QuickBooks Online and go to the Taxes tab.
  2. Select Payroll tax and choose Annual Forms under the Forms section.
  3. Choose either the name of a specific employee from the drop-down menu or select All Employees.
  4. Select W-2, Copies B, C & 2 to prompt the printable employee copies.
  5. Select the date range from the Period drop-down and click on View to access printable forms.
  6. At last, click on the Printer icon and print out the W-2s.

You may also read: Adjust Payroll Liabilities in QuickBooks

While providing the conclusion to our blog on the steps to print W-2 forms with the QuickBooks Desktop and Online, we wish that the content is user-friendly and does not keep you fixated on hard-hitting technical terms, but provides relevant information. However, some readers (with a non-technical background) would still find it hard to follow through with all the steps. As additional help, such users can contact QuickBooks Payroll Support at Helpline Number 1-(855)-542-9309 and get a QB technician to assist them personally throughout the procedures.

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