This is one in a continuing series on the 2009 Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, which employers must generally furnish to employees no later than February 1, 2010. Forms mailed on the due date are considered furnished if properly addressed. Employers unable to meet that deadline may file a request for extension of time to furnish the forms. Today we review general information regarding Form W-2.

Forms W-2 should be typed or machine-printed in black ink, using 12-point Courier font. Dollar signs and commas must be omitted, but decimal points and cents, even if zero, must be included. Forms W-2 must be prepared on a calendar year basis using pay dates, not work dates. Wages for work performed in 2008 and paid in 2009 are included and wages for work performed in 2009 and paid in 2010 are excluded.

Report the employee’s social security number (SSN) in box a. Employees who have applied for, but not received, an SSN should be reported with all zeroes and corrected on a Form W-2c. Enter in box b the employer’s employer identification number, not the owner’s SSN. Box c must contain the employer’s address as shown on Forms 941, 943, 944, CT-1 or Schedule H of Form 1040. Box d is an optional box for employer use to identify individual forms. Box e should report the employee’s name exactly as shown on the social security card. Suffixes such as Sr. or Jr. should only be included if on the social security card. Do not include professional and academic titles and degrees such as CPA or Ph.D. as part of the employee’s names. Names should not be changed on Form W-2 unless the employee has received a revised card from the Social Security Administration. The Address in box f should be the address where the employee receives mail. Foreign country names are not to be abbreviated.

The next topic in this continuing series will be Box 1, wages, tips, other compensation. Contact Vision Payroll with any questions on 2009 Form W-2.