Before you know it, it will be time to send out all those W-2’s to your employees. And as many of you have experienced, many of those W-2’s get returned with incorrect addresses, says Suzan Sturholm, CEO of All Things HR in Lynnwood.
That’s why we suggest to our clients that this is the month to start updating employee information. You will want to send out an e-mail to your staff asking them to update their personal information for their employment record. Have them complete an employee information form.
If you need an employee information form, contact us for your free copy.
Once you have updated your payroll system to reflect the new and current employee information, make sure you have filed the form in the employee’s personal file for future reference.
We have found that taking this approach, especially at this time of year, usually helps reduce the number of W-2s that are returned to you. We also recommend that you follow this same practice around mid-year as well.
What to do if you do get “returned to sender” W-2s?
• You will need to keep any and all W-2s returned to you on file until it is claimed by the employee.
• When the employee does call and ask for you to resend the W-2, place the returned W-2 with the original address and postmark date, in another envelope and remail. The original information is your “proof” of your compliance with the W-2 rule.
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