If you worked in Arkansas last year, an Arkansas W-2 Form ought to be in your hands by this point. This is the form used nationwide to summarize your income and payroll deductions for the previous year from each employer. Deductions include state and federal taxes, and health care plan payments (nontaxable). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) expects this form to be attached to your income tax return, due in April.
The law requires each and every employer to provide accurate W-2 forms to all employees by January 31st. Your place of business may have mailed it to your home or given it to you with the last check of January. Either way, it should have been done by this date. Normally, a human resources or payroll department is designated for the task.
No matter what line of business you are in, if you work for someone and have deductions taken out of your check, that form should be provided to you at the beginning of each year. If you worked for more than one company last year, you will need a separate W-2 from each company you worked for. As I mentioned earlier, you need this form to file your taxes. Not only does it make it easier for you to complete the necessary forms, it speeds the processing of your return. If you send a pay stub instead of your W-2, you have to fill out an additional form to explain why you do not have a W-2.
In the past, a pay stub would have been an acceptable substitution, but these days the IRS wants everyone to use them. Obviously, they feel that the employers are responsible for seeing that these forms are distributed. If a company fails to meet the deadline, the IRS is going to be sure to look into it.
