For Employers, and Businesses Who Submit W-2 Forms
Subscribe Today!

March 8, 2007

Issue: 2007-01

Welcome to W-2 News, the electronic newsletter for employers who submit W-2s to Social Security. Inside this issue:

• Saving and Resuming W-2 Online Reports
• Try W-2c Online!
• Special Wage Payments
• A New Name and a New Face
• Social Security’s Improved and Free Vendor List
• Visit Social Security Online to Get Replacement 1099
• Tax Return Tip: Double Check the Accuracy of All SSNs

Saving and Resuming W-2 Online Reports

W-2 Online only allows you to save W-2s that you have been working on for up to 90 days. Social Security will delete any saved reports that you do not submit or update within 90 days. Deleted W-2s in Business Services Online (BSO) cannot be retrieved. Saving your W-2s is not the same as submitting them to Social Security.

So, if you started on your W-2s early and saved them, remember to return to BSO and submit any saved W-2s before the 90 days have passed, or they will be deleted.

Try W-2c Online!

Dislike those dreaded paper W-2cs? Now you can make your corrections online. Social Security’s W-2c Online will allow you to create, print and submit Forms W-2c directly over the Internet. Plus, W-2c Online is just as user-friendly as SSA’s other options in our suite of electronic services. Best of all--it’s FREE!

Special Wage Payments

Confused about filing Special Wage Payments with Social Security? SSA only accepts Special Wage Payment reports from employers on paper Form 131, or via 3490 or 3480 tape cartridge models.

If you have any questions concerning the submission of Special Wage Payment reports to SSA, please refer to IRS Publication 957. You may also contact the Employer Services Liaison Officer in your region for assistance at www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/wage_reporting_specialists.htm.

A New Name and a New Face

Social Security’s web site for assisting employers who file their W-2s electronically has a new name. It’s now called Employer W-2 Filing Instructions & Information. We’ve dressed ourselves up and put on some color for a new look and feel. We’ve added three new topics: 1) Before You File, 2) Electronic W-2 Filers, and 3) Social Security Number Verification Service.

To see just how good we look, you can still visit us at www.socialsecurity.gov/employer.

Social Security’s Improved and Free Vendor List

Social Security has improved its Vendor List of companies that offer products and/or services that will enable you to file Forms W3/W2 electronically with Social Security. You can now list your company’s information, including your website address, and you can search the list of companies by state or service.

• Need Help Submitting Forms W-3/W-2 electronically to Social Security?

Go to: www.socialsecurity.gov/employer and choose “Vendor List” in the left column.

• Want to be included on the Vendor List?

Go to: www.socialsecurity.gov/employer and choose “Vendor List” in the left column.

Visit Social Security Online to Get Replacement 1099

Anyone who received Social Security benefits in 2006 and did not receive a Social Security Benefit Statement (Form 1099), or anyone who needs a replacement copy, can request one online by visiting the Social Security website at www.socialsecurity.gov. The link to requesting a replacement 1099 is prominently displayed on the recently revised and improved Social Security website. Social Security beneficiaries need this BenefitStatement to complete their Federal income tax return. Generally, beneficiaries have to pay taxes on Social Security benefits only if their total annual income is more than $25,000 as an individual or $32,000 for a couple. (Fewer than a third of beneficiaries pay taxes on their benefits.)

Social Security mails Benefit Statements in January to individuals who received Social Security benefits in the prior year. People who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) do not receive Benefit Statements, since SSI is based on need and is not considered taxable income.

Tax Return Tip: Double Check the Accuracy of All SSNs

It is important to make sure that all names and Social Security numbers (SSNs) are recorded correctly on Federal and State tax returns. One firm which specializes in preparing tax returns for individuals, in fact, lists this as the most common tax return mistake. It is important to get your SSNs right because the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) checks all names and SSNs for accuracy. When IRS discovers an incorrect SSN on a tax return, the agency sends a letter explaining the discrepancy. This means that the income tax filer must then provide IRS with a correct SSN before a tax refund can be processed and mailed.

For more information about SSNs, visit the Social Security website at www.socialsecurity.gov.

Please don't hit the "reply" button. W-2 News is an "announce only" newsletter.

For more information on reporting employee wages to Social Security visit our website.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/employer

Employers may contact Social Security with wage reporting questions or problems.
Email - employerinfo@ssa.gov
Phone - 1-800-772-6270, Monday - Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time

Subscribe

Unsubscribe