Hand Written W-2's

[Just Jack Mc]

Anybody know of current IRS position on accepting hand written W-2's? In my case I know source that wrote them out are honest. Also, to start estimates for a new self-employed person, do you just start sending quarterly payments in or is there other paperwork to file before sending the first estimate in?

Thank from a CPA who knows more about auditing than taxes.....

[Brian EA]

hand written W2's

IRS do accept Hand written W2's. They are considered Non-Standard. You will have to indicate on the w2 screen that it is indeed a non standard w2. Ar far as estimated taxes are concerned: are you making the 4th quarter payment for 2006 or the first payment for 2007? The first payment for 2007 is due on 4/15.

[OldJack]

Yes the Social Security Administration will accept ball point pen W2's and W3. There is no other paperwork required but to fill-out the 1040ES form and send the money with it. The key thing is to get the social security numbers right or you will have a tough time getting it credited to your client's IRS account.

[Snaggletooth]

McCarty

Stick around Jack. This is a great forum board, and we also have questions occasionally that are more appropriately answered by AICPA people than tax people.

We've got lots of CPAs that post regularly. Old Jack is one.

Regards, Ron Jordan, Manchester, TN

[Black Bart]

Jack's right.

They'll take hand-written stuff. I've done it several times when I had just one W-2 and didn't want to go to the trouble of setting up a payer in the computer program.

Also, as he said, the estimates are no problem -- just get the name and number right on the voucher, enclose a check, and mail it in. The rest will take care of itself -- no other paperwork necessary.

[Koss]

Handwritten W-2

IRS do accept Hand written W2's. They are considered Non-Standard. You will have to indicate on the w2 screen that it is indeed a non standard w2. Ar far as estimated taxes are concerned: are you making the 4th quarter payment for 2006 or the first payment for 2007? The first payment for 2007 is due on 4/15.

The non-standard indicator is only required if you are filing the return electronically.

If the client files the tax return by mail, you simply attach the handwritten W-2 to the front of Form 1040, just like any other Form W-2.

Yes, I would flag the W-2 as a non-standard W-2 even if the return is filed by mail. I'm making a more subtle point here. When a return is filed by mail, most of the data on the W-2 screen does not appear anywhere on the tax forms that are mailed to the IRS.

Burton M. Koss

[Larmil]

Anybody know of current IRS position on accepting hand written W-2's? In my case I know source that wrote them out are honest. Also, to start estimates for a new self-employed person, do you just start sending quarterly payments in or is there other paperwork to file before sending the first estimate in?

Thank from a CPA who knows more about auditing than taxes.....

Jack, from last years experience one should indicated hand prepared W-2's in the efile software as 'non-standard'. This did not prevent them from being efiled so I would think that there would be no problem with paper filing them.

For estimates, just have your client send the 1040-ES with payment.