Amending Employee W-2s (W-2Cs)
Amend employee W-2s easily with this comprehensive guide on W-2C processing.
If an employee’s W-2 is missing or incorrect, a W-2C (amended W-2) or a late W-2 may be needed. This guide covers when these amendments are required and how to work with Check to complete them.
General Guidance
- Check processes W-2Cs for the prior year starting in February and can amend W-2s for up to 3 years after the January 31st W-2 submission deadline.
- We can only process a W-2C if Check filed the original W-2.
- Employees receive an electronic copy of their W-2 or W-2C via the Tax Documents endpoint, once filing is complete. If they haven’t consented to electronic delivery, we’ll print and mail Federal W-2s and W-2Cs. We do not support print and mail of W-2Cs that are only submitted to state and local agencies.
- Check has automated the majority of W-2C scenarios, so there is no need to submit a Support ticket. You will only need to submit a Support ticket to request a W-2C for employee name changes, Federal EIN changes, and pre-2024 SSN changes.
- 2024 Federal W-2Cs and late W-2s are filed weekly. Others are filed upon request, per our standard amendment timeline.
- Many boxes on the W-2C and W-3C PDFs will be blank, since only fields with corrected values are included. Rest assured that this is working as designed.
Incorrect Employee SSN
Update the employee’s SSN in Check’s system. Check will automatically enqueue a 2024 Federal W-2C if needed, so a Support ticket is not required. To request a pre-2024 W-2C for employee SSN changes, please submit a Support ticket. We don’t support state or local W-2Cs for SSN changes.
Incorrect Employee Name
Submit a Support Ticket to request assistance. While amendments due to an employee changing their name are not strictly required when the SSN was correct, doing so helps the SSA reconcile employees with their records even if the legal name change was effective after the original return. We don’t support state or local W-2Cs for employee name changes.
Missed Employee(s) in Original Filings
Enter missed payroll data using these instructions. In this case, the impacted employee needs a W-2 (not a W-2C). Check will automatically enqueue a late Federal W-2. The employer will receive a second Federal W-3 for the missed employee(s). We’ll open a Support ticket to coordinate with you on any additional work required.
Incorrect Federal Fields (Boxes 1-13)
Follow these instructions to request a payroll correction. After the correction, Check will automatically enqueue a Federal W-2C.
Incorrect State and Local Fields (Boxes 15-20)
Follow these instructions to request a payroll correction. After the correction, our Tax team will be assigned a ticket to file state and local W-2Cs.
We do not file the updated state and local information through a Federal W-2C, as the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not use these amended records.
Federal EIN (FEIN) Change
Submit a Support Ticket to request assistance. This change requires two sets of W-2Cs: one to offset incorrect data for the former FEIN and another to file the correct data for the correct FEIN. Therefore, this change may take longer to process.
No W-2C Needed for These Changes
Certain updates don’t require a W-2C amendment because they don’t affect how the tax agency identifies or processes the employee’s wage data.
- Middle Name Changes - The SSA uses SSN, first name, and last name for identification, so middle names have no impact on processing.
- Kind of Payer Updates - The “Kind of Payer” field identifies the type of employer (e.g., 941, 943). Because this field applies to the employer level and not the employee, corrections to it don’t require amended W-2Cs.
- Box 14 Corrections - Box 14 is for informational entries only. The SSA doesn’t process the information in this box, so W-2Cs aren’t necessary.
- Address Changes - Unless an address change impacts wage or tax amounts, the SSA does not allow corrections for this field.
Last updated on January 31, 2025