What is the fastest way to get old W2s?

September 25, 2017 8:57 AM

I need to show a lender W2s from years ago ASAP. I fucked up and didn't keep them well filed and can't find them. What is the best way I can get them quickly?

I definitely need them within the next few days, but the sooner the better. While money isn't no object, assume I'm willing to drop a reasonable amount of money in order to get these fast.

posted by corb to Work & Money (12 answers total)

Do you have copies of tax returns from that era?
posted by gudrun at 8:59 AM on September 25, 2017

Response by poster: I have copies of tax returns - filed online, so I know the amounts on the W2s from the W2 worksheets and summaries, but the lenders need the actual employer-issued W2s to prove that they are accurate I guess.
posted by corb at 9:02 AM on September 25, 2017

Ugh, been there, hate this. Good news is that my filing system is I’m Sure Someone Has a Copy. Can you call your employer and ask? They can probably scan and email it, or God forbid, fax it. (Warning: this is also why I accidentally paid for two years of a free-trial efface service.)
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 9:06 AM on September 25, 2017

Best answer: Alternatively: any chance you had to send PDFs of them to yourself or your SO in the past?
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 9:07 AM on September 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Did you use direct deposit? If they used the viewmypaycheck service so you could check your deposits online, it also has W-2 information.
posted by mochapickle at 9:09 AM on September 25, 2017

Any chance you still have access to some sort of former-employee-online-portal thing where you can grab them? I can still get my W2s online directly from some employers I worked for years ago.
posted by brainmouse at 9:09 AM on September 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

Could you ask the lender if the IRS Wage and Income Transcript would be sufficient proof?

You can get copies of your W-2 from the SSA but they only accept requests by mail and it will take more than a few days.

Both the IRS and SSA agree that asking your employer will be the quickest option.
posted by muddgirl at 9:13 AM on September 25, 2017 [5 favorites]

IME the govt will sometimes send you the copy that they have that the employer sent them.
posted by jeather at 9:13 AM on September 25, 2017

Response by poster: Okay, so this may be the fastest ask-to-answer ever, but: yes, thanks, apparently I did email it to my spouse from an email account not my primary some years ago. We are good to go, and you're all saints.
posted by corb at 9:26 AM on September 25, 2017 [9 favorites]

Even though your question is answered, for future reference, you can request transcripts of your tax returns, as well as copies of your W-2s, at irs.gov. You just create an account, and you can retrieve electronic copies. I had to get my 2016 W-2s there recently. I don't know for sure, but assume they have the past 7 years digitized, since that's how long they are required to store returns.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 10:21 AM on September 25, 2017 [6 favorites]

...this may be the fastest ask-to-answer ever...

Not even close.
posted by misterbrandt at 10:36 AM on September 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Yeah, I was going to say I've seen lots of AskMefi's answered in less than 5 minutes. Usually cultural "what the heck is this song" questions. Glad it worked out :)
posted by intermod at 2:20 PM on September 25, 2017