How to Get Your W2 Forms Online For Free

The ability to get things online makes a big difference. If you lose a paper version of a document, you need only go online and print another. It is a great thing for multitaskers who must balance things like watching children, commuting by train or bus, and working from home with the ability to find and manage documents. If your tax information like your W2 is online, that makes it easier as well to do your taxes from anywhere. If you're not sure how to get your W2 form from online, here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Ensure that you have an employer who makes a W2 available online. This is becoming more and more common. If they are sending you one in the mail, ask if it is possible to also receive an online version, or at least have them scan and email you a copy when they receive their own.

2. Ask your employer or payroll company for the website where your online W2 is being stored. Because this will be a secure personal document, you may need to enter some kind of information to get to this. In some cases, name, address, birthday and social security number may be enough. In other cases you may need something like an employee ID number, or a specially prepared employee ID and password that is made to keep this information secure from online identity thieves.

3. Go to the website, and enter the information. Companies have until January 31 to issue a W2, so if it is before that date, you may need to try back a few times before you find it. Once you have viewed it, it is not a bad idea to keep a saved copy either on your computer, or to take a screenshot on your smartphone, in case you need it in a location where you don't have access to internet.

4. Hold on to a copy of this for seven years. Not only is it a way to get the correct numbers for filing your taxes, but it is also something that can be used to verify your income if you need to apply for a loan, refinance a mortgage, or prove employment history for any other reason. By having an easily available digital copy within your personal files, you can often streamline the amount of time it takes to get approval by having your documents ready to go.