A Call from the IRS is How I Learned About W-2’s

When I opened my entrepreneurial company in February 1993, I knew about sales, marketing, and operations, but I had no experience with Federal payroll tax filings.

In early January 1994, a former employee left a voicemail message asking when W-2’s were going to be mailed. I had no idea what he was talking about and I forgot about the message.

In February, I received a call from an IRS officer asking why I had not mailed a W-2 to this employee.

The IRS officer was very nice and explained my responsibility under the IRS code. I was told that W-2’s are the wage and tax statements that are filed with an employee’s Federal tax return. They are required to be mailed to the employee’s by January 31st. At the end of the conversation, the IRS officer suggested that I get the W-2’s prepared and mailed ASAP.

You can probably guess that I mailed the W-2’s later that day.

It is unnerving to receive a call from an IRS officer, even when they are nice and helpful