Employers and accountants: head to this article to learn about downloading and distributing these forms.
W-2 availability and distribution
We'll email employees in mid-to-late January when your W-2 is available in Gusto.
Follow the steps below to access your W-2 online. You can also view it in your Gusto Wallet mobile app: from your You page, choose Documents.
Learn more about what each field represents on your W-2 below.
Your employer is required to provide you with a paper copy of your W-2, unless you go paperless and choose to receive electronic-only copies.
Changes to your delivery preference after Jan 18, 2023 won’t take effect until the following tax year (meaning, it’ll be too late to change your preference for 2021 tax documents, but the preference will be set for next year).
Follow these steps to choose your preference:
Your W-2 will be available to view and download in the Documents section of your account by Jan 20, and your employer will provide your paper copy by Jan 31, 2023 (unless you went paperless).
Your delivery preference will be valid until you update it, or you leave the company.
Employees can access Form W-2 in their Gusto account.
The descriptions below are simplified summaries, and there may be other factors to consider when filing out each section—learn more in the detailed IRS guidelines for filling out Form W-2.
Box a: Your Social Security number. Please make sure that this is correct.
Box b: Your company's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).
Box c: Your company's name, legal address, and zip code.
Box d: This box can include a control number. Gusto does not use one, and it is not required.
Box e: Your legal first name, middle initial, and last name. Please make sure that this is correct.
Box f: Your home address and zip code.
Box 1: Your total wages subject to federal income tax for the year. This includes tips. This does not include pre-tax contributions, like contributions to section 125 health plans or 401(k) plans.
Box 2: The total amount of federal income tax withheld from your paycheck for the year.
Box 3: Your total wages subject to Social Security tax for the year. This amount will not include pre-tax contributions.
Box 4: The total amount of Social Security tax withheld from your paycheck for the year.
Box 5: Your total wages subject to Medicare tax for the year. This amount will not include pre-tax contributions.
Box 6: The total amount of Medicare tax withheld from your paycheck for the year.
Box 7: Your reported tips for the year.
Box 8: Tips assigned to you in addition to your reported tips. No income, Social Security, or Medicare taxes have been withheld on allocated tips.
Box 10: Amounts withheld from your paycheck to pay dependent care benefits for the year.
Box 11: Amounts you received from your company's non-qualified retirement plan.
Box 12: This box is used to show several types of compensation or benefits that are labeled with a letter code. For a complete list of codes, see the General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3, page 30.
Box 13: This indicates if you were a statutory employee, participated in the company's retirement plan, or received third party sick pay for the year.
Box 14: Other informational items such as S-Corp Insurance contributions and Personal Use of Company Car.
Box 15: The state where your company is located and their state identification number.
Box 16: Your total wages subject to state income tax for the year. This amount will not include pre-tax contributions.
Box 17: The total amount of state income tax withheld from your paycheck for the year.
Box 18: Your total wages subject to local, city, or other state income taxes for the year.
Box 19: The total amount of local, city, or other state income taxes withheld from your paycheck for the year.
Box 20: The code or name of the local, city, or other state tax reported in Box 19.