Wrong SSN

[Burke]

I have a client whose SSN is wrong on one W-2. There was withholding. Will this reject? Tax return will have correct info.

[neallove]

neal

the IRS will reject the return. you need to get a need w2

[BP.]

I have a client whose SSN is wrong on one W-2. There was withholding. Will this reject? Tax return will have correct info.

Believe I've had this situation, twice this year, but w/o reject.

[ChEAr$]

Here's the skinny. IRS procedure says simply to cross through the incorrect SSn on the W2 and print in the correct one. Of course recipient needs to inform employer so that correction may be made at SSA, but NOT necessary to have corrected W2 before filing tax return.

[Burke]

That's what I was thinking. I was going to efile anyway, because I didn't think they matched those until later. However, she may not be getting credit for the wages with SSA. And the employer should be getting a letter. The client told me the same thing happened last year, but we paper-filed and they said the IRS "rejected" it. It could be they questioned it before it was input and after the TP explained, it was processed. They only told me this when they came in this year.

[Gary2]

They can't reject it, in the traditional e-file rejection sense, because the employers' copies of the W-2 and the W-3 aren't due yet.

They can, however, issue a letter at a later date saying, essentially, "Thank you for declaring this wage of income for which we have no record, we'll happily take your taxes for that, but since we have no record of the withholding you claimed, you'll have to pay us the missing withholding." Hence the need to get the employer to fix it.