We'll email you in mid-to-late January when your W-2 is available in Gusto—employers are still required to provide you with a physical copy of your W-2 (via mail or in-person) unless you've given them consent to provide it electronically.
We file W-2s for employees that were paid taxable wages in Gusto in the given year, so long as:
Employers and accountants can learn how to download and distribute forms for your employees here.
Use the dropdowns below to learn more, or use CMD + F (or CTRL + F) to search for keywords throughout the article.
We make Form W-2 available in your Gusto account, but employers are still required to provide you with a physical copy of your W-2 (via mail or in-person) unless you've given them consent to provide it electronically only. Use the steps below to view your forms online.
You can also view it in your Gusto Wallet mobile app: From your You page, choose Documents.
If for any reason you were issued a corrected Form W-2C, or still need one, you should wait to file your personal tax returns until you have all the forms.
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 January 16, 2024, won’t take effect until the following tax year (meaning, it’ll be too late to change your preference for 2023 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 mid-January, and your employer will provide your paper copy by January 31 (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—make sure 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's not required.
Box e: Your legal first name, middle initial, and last name—make sure these are 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 32.
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.