Arkansas W-2 Form

Did you know that employers can now send your Arkansas W-2 forms out electronically? It’s true. This is a great new feature for employers.

Employers can furnish W-2s as PDF files either through email or by posting them on a website. Be aware that each employee must sign a consent form to access their tax and wage data electronically. Any employee who refuses to sign must be given a traditional paper W-2 form instead.

Be aware that using electronic filing of W-2s doesn’t change the employer’s responsibility. Each employer must supply employees with a W-2 for the previous year no later than January 31. If an employee requests a duplicate or whatever reason, they must be furnished with one.

If tax info is posted on a website, it must be password protected so that employees don’t have access to other people’s tax info. Each employee must be furnished with a password to access his or her information, and instructions to print it. These can be delivered via mail, email or in person.

Filing employee W-2s online alleviates some problems, but it may create others. Most undelivered W-2s occur because the employee has moved, and forgotten to give the new address to the employer. At other times, the employee’s new address might be entered on some paperwork, but not changed in the payroll system. Electronic access completely eliminates the problem of obsolete employee addresses.

However, a few new problems arise. If company emails are used to distribute passwords or W-2 PDF forms, that won’t work for former employees. They have moved on and now have a new email through a new employer. You might or might not know their new email address. If personal email addresses are used, the employee may have changed their email account. Delivering passwords via mail eliminates this problem, but you still have to worry about outdated addresses.

In recent years, the IRS has been more vigorously enforcing the law regarding timely W-2 forms. According to the IRS website, if an employee hasn’t received a W-2 by February 15, they should contact the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS will intervene with the employer to get the employee the needed information.