W-2 Form

Personal Finance

Form W-2 is the year-end summary employers send to W-2 employees reporting wages paid, federal/state taxes withheld, Social Security and Medicare contributions, and pre-tax benefit deductions (401k, HSA, health insurance). You'll get one W-2 per employer; the IRS gets a copy too. Box 1 is your federal taxable wages (smaller than gross pay due to pre-tax deductions). Box 12 reports 401k contributions (code D), HSA contributions (W), and other items. Always reconcile your final pay stub to your W-2 — errors happen, especially with multi-state employment, RSU vesting, or mid-year transfers.