In this guide, we’ll show you how to print W2 forms in QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.
Thankfully, printing the forms themselves is easy enough. The tricky part is selecting paper that’s compatible with your QuickBooks setup and complying with IRS printing requirements.
To help you get this process right, we’ve listed detailed W2 printing instructions below. We’ve also included a W2 Printing FAQ with quick answers to common questions at the bottom of this guide, just in case you get stuck along the way.
Quick Links
To print your W2s in QuickBooks Online, you’ll need to:
Please note, QuickBooks Online is not compatible with:
Before printing your W2s, you need to tell QuickBooks which type of paper you’re printing on. You can do this in your company payroll preferences by following these steps:
You can now print your W2s from your computer’s PDF reader (usually Adobe Reader) by selecting File→ Print and following the prompts.
To print W2s in QuickBooks Desktop, you’ll need to use black ink (this is an IRS requirement) and print onto paper that’s compatible with your QuickBooks Payroll version.
If you’re using Standard Payroll or Enhanced Payroll, you can use either:
If you’re using Assisted Payroll, you’ll need to print your W2s onto 4-up horizontal blank perforated paper W2s.
Please note, QuickBooks Desktop is not compatible with the free PDF W2 forms from the IRS website.
Congrats! You made it to the Print/E-file window. Here, you’ll see that your W2s are listed by recipient (For example, For employer, and For government).
Because QuickBooks Desktop doesn’t like to make things easy:
Thankfully this isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Let’s walk through this together.
Here are the steps to select the paper you’re using and the W2s you want to print.
For employees
For employer
For government
Ta dah! It’s time to print your W2s. One at a time, of course.
You can now print your W2s from your computer’s PDF reader by selecting File→ Print and following the prompts.
Quick Links
Form W2 reports employee wages and salaries to federal, state, and local agencies, along with a copy for the employee.
Form W3, also known as a “W3 transmittal summary form,” is required when you file W2s by mail. W3s add up all the information on your individual W2 forms into a total for the Social Security Administration (SSA).
You can buy W3 forms online from Blue Summit Supplies. These forms comply with IRS and QuickBooks printing requirements.
Your state’s filing requirements will determine whether you need to arrange a 4-part or a 6-part W2.
There are penalties for filing incorrectly so, if you’re unsure, check with your tax advisor to confirm how many “parts” your W2 forms will need.
Here’s what each W2 contains:
4-Part W2s:
6-Part W2s:
Here’s where to send each part of the W2:
4-Part W2s
6-Part W2s:
Unfortunately, no. The IRS is very clear on this in their W2 form filing instructions: “Do not send the SSA Forms W2 and W3 that you have printed from IRS.gov. The SSA is unable to process these forms.”
This means that you cannot use the IRS’s free PDF W2s to print with QuickBooks (or any other type of accounting software for that matter).
QuickBooks Online
Provided you have an active QuickBooks Online Payroll subscription, you’ll need to print your W2s onto 4-up horizontal blank perforated paper W2s.
QuickBooks Desktop
If you’re using Standard Payroll or Enhanced Payroll, you can use either:
If you’re using Assisted Payroll, you’ll need to print your W2s onto 4-up horizontal blank perforated paper W2s.
Yes. The IRS allows businesses with less than 250 W2s to file W2s via mail. If you need to file 250 or more W2 forms, you must file electronically.
No, but you’ll save time and avoid mailing errors if you use custom W2 envelopes.
These double-window envelopes display the employer and employee addresses once your W2 form is inserted into the envelope.
QuickBooks no longer allows users to print W2s directly from QuickBooks.
Instead, once you’ve prepared your W2s inside QuickBooks, you’ll see a “Print PDF” option. Click that button and QuickBooks will export your W2s to your computer’s PDF reader.
If you need to configure your printer’s setup, you can do so inside your computer’s PDF reader program (usually Adobe Reader) before printing your W2s.
W2s become available in QuickBooks from 1 January onwards. Once you’ve finished running payroll for the year, you should be able to log in, access your W2s, and print them out.
If you can’t see W2s in your QuickBooks account, it could have something to do with your QuickBooks subscription.
To view and print W2s in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, you’ll need to be subscribed to the Enhanced Service or Standard Service.
If you are using the QuickBooks Payroll Basic Service, W2 forms will not be available in QuickBooks Desktop. You can create a payroll summary reportto get the data you need to manually complete the form.
To view and print W2s in QuickBooks Online Payroll, you’ll need an Enhanced level subscription (or a Basic subscription that was started before April 1, 2013).
If this isn’t the issue, the quickest way to troubleshoot this is to contact QuickBooks customer support.
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