RSU and W-2 income

[Questionguy101]

Taxpayer had RSU from his employer. The shares were sold in 2011. The cost of the shares is $8,500. Usually, employer would report it in box 12 and add it to the gross income of the employee. But in the case of this taxpayer, his employer just puts "8,500 RSU" in box 14. Is it safe to assume that this $8,500 has been added to the gross income of the taxpayer in his W-2?

[JG EA]

Taxpayer had RSU from his employer. The shares were sold in 2011. The cost of the shares is $8,500. Usually, employer would report it in box 12 and add it to the gross income of the employee. But in the case of this taxpayer, his employer just puts "8,500 RSU" in box 14. Is it safe to assume that this $8,500 has been added to the gross income of the taxpayer in his W-2?

It should be in the the W-2, but I would ask for a year end paystub just to see if the employer did it that way.

[Gary2]

Taxpayer had RSU from his employer. The shares were sold in 2011. The cost of the shares is $8,500. Usually, employer would report it in box 12 and add it to the gross income of the employee. But in the case of this taxpayer, his employer just puts "8,500 RSU" in box 14. Is it safe to assume that this $8,500 has been added to the gross income of the taxpayer in his W-2?

There's no box 12 code for this. You're confusing RSUs with non-statutory options, which are code V. RSUs aren't options (though they often quack like them).

[Gary2]

It should be in the the W-2, but I would ask for a year end paystub just to see if the employer did it that way.

Not every employer does it in the year end paystub. Some will do it shortly after the transaction. The fact that it was mentioned in box 14 should be enough to have confidence that they did. If you don't trust that, then why trust that they properly added all the paychecks into the box 1 amount?