What Is a W-2 Form? Definition, How to Read It

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What is a W-2?
Understanding your W-2 form
- Federal: $79 to $139. Free version available for Simple Form 1040 returns only.
- State: $0 to $69 per state.
- Expert help or full service filing is available with an upgrade to Live packages for a fee.
How to get your W-2
- Remember that your tax return is still due by the tax filing deadline, so if you don't have your W-2, you might need to file for tax extension or estimate your earnings and withholdings to get it done on time. The IRS might delay processing your return — read: refund — while it tries to verify your information.
- If your W-2 finally shows up after you already filed your tax return, you might need to go back and amend your tax return with a Form 1040-X.
How to read your W-2
- Box 1: Details how much you were paid in wages, tips, bonuses and other compensation. You'll use this information to fill out Line 1a of your Form 1040. If you are married or you have multiple jobs, the sum of all Box 1 wages should be included on Line 1a.
- Box 2: Shows how much federal income tax was withheld from your pay by your employer. This amount will help you fill out Line 25a of your Form 1040. Note that the information you provided on your Form W-4 determines how much tax is withheld from your pay throughout the year.
- Box 3: Shows how much of your pay in Box 1 was subject to Social Security tax. In 2025, the maximum amount of income subject to Social Security tax is $176,100.
- Box 4: Shows how much Social Security tax was withheld from your pay. Social Security tax is generally 6.2% of your income.
- Box 5: Shows how much of your pay in Box 1 was subject to Medicare tax. Unlike Social Security, there is no limit to how much of your income is subject to Medicare tax.
- Box 6: Shows how much Medicare tax was withheld from your pay. Medicare tax is generally 1.45% of your income, but some high-earners may be subject to an additional 0.9% Medicare tax.
- Box 7: Shows how much of the tip income you reported to your employer (those tips are included in Box 1) was subject to Social Security tax.
- Box 8: Shows the amount of other taxable tip income your employer allocated to you. This pay isn't included in Box 1, 3, 5 or 7.
- Box 9: This box is generally left blank.
- Box 10: Shows the amount of dependent care benefits your employer paid to you or incurred on your behalf. Any amount over $5,000 will also be included in Box 1.
- Box 11: Generally, this box shows how much money was distributed to you during the year from your employer's deferred compensation plan. These plans can include pensions, IRAs and 401(k)s.
- Box 12: Here, there are four areas in which the employer can provide more detail about some or all of the pay reported in Box 1. For example, if you've contributed to your company's 401(k) plan, the amount of your contributions might show up in Box 12 with the code letter "D." There are many codes, which you can see in the IRS' W-2 instructions
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- Box 13: This box indicates whether your earnings are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes but aren't subject to federal income tax withholding, whether you participated in certain types of retirement plans, or whether you got certain kinds of sick pay.
- Boxes 16-19: Show how much of your pay is subject to state income tax, how much state income tax was withheld from your pay, how much income was subject to local taxes, and how much local tax was withheld from your pay
Need a visual?

What to do if your W-2 is wrong
- Federal: $79 to $139. Free version available for Simple Form 1040 returns only.
- State: $0 to $69 per state.
- Expert help or full service filing is available with an upgrade to Live packages for a fee.
What's the difference between a W-2 form and a W-4 form?
What's the difference between a W-2 form and a 1099 form?
Can you file taxes without a W-2?
Article sources
- 1. Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Accessed Jan 4, 2024.
with LedgerWay