Mississippi W-2 Form

Do you have your 2007 W-2 yet? If you’re an employee who worked in Mississippi last year, a Mississippi W-2 Form ought to be in your hands by this point. You should have received a W-2 for by January 31, 2007.

The W-2 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.

If you worked as an independent contractor, or collected unemployment benefits you’ll receive a 1099 form instead of – or in addition to – the W-2 form. The law requires each employer to provide accurate W-2 forms to all employees by January 31^st. 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.

Prior to 2004, the IRS would accept a pay stub in the place of a missing W-2 form. 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.

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. 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.