From the Payroll screen, select the Government Reporting menu and then Employee W2s.
The W2 Search screen will appear listing all the Calendar Year Ending Dates for which there is data. Double-click the Calendar Year Ending Date for the desired calendar year for which to create the file.
A message may appear stating that there is a payroll calculation batch with a check date after the date the W2s were last generated; if the message appears, click Yes to continue regenerating the W2s if needed, or click No to open the W2s without regenerating.
Note: If the W2s are regenerated, any changes manually made to the W2s will be lost.
The Employee W2s screen will appear for the selected year.
Note: If an employee has a negative amount on the W2 in any box except Box 14, an error message will appear in the status bar stating there are negative W2s; the negative W2s must be resolved before printing the W2s or creating the electronic file. To determine the employee(s) with the negative W2 amounts, click the Find button and review the Has Negatives column (employees with a negative amount in any box except Box 14 will appear with a checkmark in the field (column)). If applicable, edit the amounts as needed on the W2s for the specified employees, or make the necessary corrections in Payroll and then regenerate the W2s.
Tip: The Find Duplicate Social Security Numbers option is automatically completed when accessing previously generated W2s. If there were employees found with W2s which have the same social security numbers, the Find Duplicate Social Security Numbers screen will appear listing the duplicate employees. If applicable, edit the W2s or make the necessary corrections in Payroll and then regenerate the W2s.
Click the Create Electronic File tab.
Enter the name of your organization in the Company Name field. The name can be up to 57 characters long.
Note: Initially, the organization name as shown in the System File will appear as the default (and can be changed), but thereafter, the default will be the information last saved in this field.
Enter the location and delivery address for your organization in the Location Address and Delivery Address fields. Each address can be alphanumeric and up to 22 characters long.
Note: Initially, the address entered in the Address 1 and Address 2 fields in the System File will appear as the default (and can be changed), but thereafter, the default will be the information last saved in this field.
The city, state, and zip code for where your organization is located (as entered in the System File) appears in the City, State, and Zip Code fields and cannot be changed. If needed, change the city, state, and/or zip code in the System File to update the information in these fields.
Enter the name of the person who should be contacted with questions regarding the file submission in the Contact Name field. The name can be up to 27 characters long.
Enter the phone number for the contact person in the Contact Phone Number field. The phone number can be up to 15 digits long. The system will automatically add the dashes for the phone number (if entered with numbers only) using the following formats: 1) ### - #### if 7 digits are entered; 2) ### - #### x ## if 8 or 9 digits are entered; 3) ### - ### - #### if 10 digits are entered; or 4) ### - ### - #### x ## if 11 or more digits are entered.
Note: Initially, the phone number entered in the Phone Number 1 field in the System File will appear as the default (and can be changed), but thereafter, the default will be the information last saved in this field.
If applicable (and only if not entered as part of the phone number in the Contact Phone Number field), enter the extension (up to 5 digits) for the contact person in the Contact Phone Extension field.
Enter the fax number (without hyphens) for the contact person in the Contact Fax Number field. The fax number can be up to 10 digits long. The system will automatically add the dashes for the phone number (if entered with numbers only) using the following formats: 1) ### - #### if 7 digits are entered; or 2) ### - #### x ## if 8 digits are entered.
Note: Initially, the fax number entered in the Fax Number field in the System File will appear as the default (and can be changed), but thereafter, the default will be the information last saved in this field.
Enter the email address for the contact person in the Contact Email/Internet field. The email address can be up to 40 characters long and must follow the proper format of "username@example.com".
The federal ID number for your organization (as entered in the System File) appears in the Employer Identification Number (EIN) field and cannot be changed. If needed, change the federal ID number in the System File to update the information in this field.
Enter the 8-digit alphanumeric user ID for your organization assigned by the Social Security Administration in the User Identification (User ID) field.
Enter the appropriate type of preparer (Accounting Firm, Other, Parent Company, Self-Prepared, or Service Bureau) in the Preparer Code field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. In most cases, this will be Self-Prepared.
Enter the appropriate type of your organization (Federal Government, None Apply, State and Local Government Employer, State and Local Tax Exempt Employer, or Tax Exempt Employer) in the Kind of Employer field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one.
Enter the appropriate type of report file to create (Federal, Local, or State) in the Report Type field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. Enter Federal if creating the W2 file to submit to the Social Security Administration for FIT. Enter State if creating the W2 file to submit to the appropriate state department for SIT. Enter Local if creating the W2 File to submit to the appropriate local agency for LIT (only applicable for school districts in Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Louis, Missouri).
Note: Only Illinois (only if have 250 or more returns), Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota school districts (or school districts who withhold state income tax in those states) need to build the state W2 file in addition to the federal W2 file.
If State is specified in the Report Type field, the State field is enabled. Enter the state abbreviation for the state file to create (as based on the applicable state income taxes defined in the Tax File) in the State field, or click the down-arrow to select the correct one.
If Local is specified in the Report Type field, the City field is enabled. Enter the appropriate description of the city for the local file to create (as based on the applicable local income taxes defined in the Tax File) in the City field, or click the down-arrow to select the correct one.
If applicable, select the Terminating Business field only if your organization was terminated this year. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
If a Form 941, 942, or 943 was submitted to the IRS for the same payment year as the one for which the file is being created and the form used an EIN other than the one displayed in the Employer Identification Number (EIN) field, enter the other number in the Other EIN field. The number can be up to 10 digits long.
If the file is being created to resubmit the W2 information for the particular year, enter the appropriate resubmission wage file identification code given to you in the Resub Wage File Identifier (WFID) field. The code can be alphanumeric and up to 6 characters long.
If applicable, enter the amount of FIT withheld by a third party payer in the 3rd Party FIT Withheld field. The amount can be up to 6 digits long (including the decimal point) and will be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system if capable.
All employees in the W2 File with reportable values for the specified report type appear in the Employee Selection List on the bottom of the screen. The following information appears for each employee: active status, employee status, default pay group, whether the employee's W2 has reportable values, and sort group values. Specify the employees for which W2s to include on the file by clicking the box for the Selected column to the left of the desired employee. A checkmark will appear in the box if the employee is selected. To select all the employees listed on the screen, click the Select All button located above the Employee Selection List. If desired, change the filters to modify the employees displayed here. If needed, click the Clear All Selection button to remove all the filters (display all employees) and unselect any previously selected employees.
Click the Save button.
Click the Execute button to continue creating the file.
At the Create Report File screen, select the desired path (drive and folders) for the destination location and click the Save button. The system will default to the location that was last specified.
Note: Do not change the name of the file that will be created.
A message will appear in the status bar after the file was created.
If applicable, repeat these steps to build both the federal and state W2 files (and local W2 file, if applicable).