Note: Be sure the fields on the General screen (tab) within the Employee W2s option have been completed prior to printing the employee W2s.
Steps to Complete General Screen within Employee W2s
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 print the W2s.
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.
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 at this time. To determine the employee(s) with the negative W2 amounts, click the Employee W2s tab, 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 Print W2s tab.
In the Report field, click the down-arrow button to select the desired format (W2s - 2 on a Page, W2s - 4 on a Page, W2s - Pressure Seal) to use to print the W2s. Select W2s - 2 on a Page to print two W2s on a page using a laser printer and blank forms or plain paper. Select W2s - 4 on a Page to print four W2s on a page using a laser printer and blank forms or plain paper. Select W2s - Pressure Seal to print four W2s on a page, along with the mailing information (employee name/address and return address), using a laser printer and pressure seal blank forms.
Note: The W2s - Pressure Seal format requires the necessary equipment in order to fold and seal the W2s.
Enter the distance in inches from the top edge of the W2 to where the information should print in the Top Margin field. The margin cannot be greater than 2 inches, but can be up to 4 digits long (including the decimal point) and will be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system if capable. The default top margin for the specified report (format) will appear initially (each time a format is selected), but can be changed as needed.
Enter the distance in inches from the left edge of the W2 to where the information should print in the Left Margin field. The margin cannot be greater than 2 inches, but can be up to 4 digits long (including the decimal point) and will be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system if capable. The default left margin for the specified report (format) will appear initially (each time a format is selected), but can be changed as needed.
Enter the description of the referenced custom field to use to sort the W2s when printing in the Custom Referenced Field field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. Specify No Custom Referenced, or leave the field blank, to sort (print) the W2s in alphabetical order.
Select the 4 on a Page field if printing four W2s on a page using blank forms or plain paper. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. If printing using the W2s - Pressure Seal format, do not select this field even though there will be four W2s on one page.
If desired, select the Print Control Number field to print the employee ID in Box D - Control Number on the W2. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
Note: This field does not apply if using the W2s - Pressure Seal format, as Box D is omitted on the pressure seal format, and so the control number will not print even if this field is selected.
If applicable, select the Print Reissue Statement field to have REISSUED STATEMENT print on the top of the W2. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
Note: If printing four W2s on a page using plain paper or blank forms, the statement only prints on the top of the Copy B; otherwise, for all other formats (including the pressure seal format), the statement prints on the top of each copy.
Select the Print Instructions for Employee field to print the employee information included on the back of a W2 along with the specified copies of W2s. If the field is selected, the instructions print as a separate page after each employee's W2s. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
Note: This field does not apply if using the W2s - Pressure Seal format, as the instructions will not print even if this field is selected.
To print only the last 4 digits of the social security numbers (federal IDs) for the employees on the W2s, select the Print Last Four Digits of Federal ID field. If this field is selected, the first digits of the social security numbers will be masked (for example, XXX-XX-1234). A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. Leave the field unselected to print the full social security numbers (federal IDs) on the W2s.
To print the employee name and address information on the W2s with the first name, middle initial, last name, and suffix (if applicable) spaced out, and an extra space between the line for the name and the first line of the address, select the Employee Address Formatted with Extra Spacing field. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. Leave the field unselected to print the employee name and address information on the W2s without extra spacing between the lines and print the first name, middle name, last name, and suffix (if applicable) without extra spacing. Typically, this field is left unselected (it was primarily used in the past when printing the Copy A, if applicable).
Example of Employee Address Formatted with Extra Spacing Field Selected
Example of Employee Address Formatted with Extra Spacing Field Unselected
If the 4 on a Page field is not selected, the Copies to Print section is enabled. The Copies to Print section is only applicable if printing two W2s on a page using a laser printer and plain paper or blank forms (or printing four W2 on a page using pressure seal blank forms, if applicable). If applicable, enter the number of copies (0 to 2) to print for each employee of the Copy 2, Copy B, Copy C, and Copy D in the appropriate fields.
All employees in the W2 File appear in the Employee Selection List on the bottom of the screen. Select the employees for which to print the W2s 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.
Tip: The Tax Forms Email field (column) indicates whether the employee is defined to have tax forms emailed, and the Web Link W2 Consent field (column) indicates whether the employee has consented to receive only an electronic W2 via Web Link. Utilize the Tax Forms Email and/or the Web Link W2 Consent field (column) to filter the employees in order to select or exclude those that will receive a W2 via email or Web Link; for example, filter for False on the Tax Forms Email and/or the Web Link W2 Consent field (column) when printing W2s for the employee to omit printing the paper copies for those employees who will receive a W2 via email or Web Link.
Click the Save button.
Click the To Screen button to preview the W2s on the screen, or click the To Printer button to print the W2s directly to the printer.
Tip: To verify that the settings are correct and there are not any wrapping issues before printing all W2s, first specify to only print for five to ten employees; then print the remaining W2s if all settings are correct. Also, if planning to place the W2s in window envelopes for distribution purposes, be sure to test that the W2s fit properly into the envelopes before printing all W2s.
Note: To avoid any memory issues with your computer and printer, use the To Screen button only when viewing the W2s to test your settings; then close the preview screen, and print the entire W2 file by clicking the To Printer button. When W2s are sent to the printer using the To Printer button, the system spools two hundred W2s at a time and sends them as a separate print job; thus, there should not be any memory issues when printing W2s directly to the printer.
Repeat these steps as many times as needed in order to print all the necessary copies of the W2s.