What is a W-2?
Form W-2 is a wage and tax statement that your employer sends you every January. It reports your annual wages and the taxes withheld.
Key Boxes to Know
- Box 1: Total taxable wages
- Box 2: Federal income tax withheld
- Box 12: Codes for 401(k) contributions, HSA, etc.
- Box 17: State income tax withheld
Common Mistakes
- Not checking if Box 1 matches your last pay stub
- Ignoring Box 12 codes that could mean extra deductions
- Not reporting state taxes from Box 17
Pro tip: Upload your W-2 to Tax CoPilot and our AI will extract all fields automatically — no manual data entry needed.