How to Print a W-2 from QuickBooks

Quickbooks

QuickBooks provides a wide range of tax features, including easy access to W-2 and W-3 forms. How you access these forms will vary depending on your payroll service. QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic doesn’t provide any access to W-2 and W-3 forms.

QuickBooks Online Payroll

If you have QuickBooks handle your taxes and forms automatically, they mail out W-2s to your employees throughout January and provide the option to print them yourself by January 13th.

To access and print W-2s and W-3s, follow these steps:

Go to Taxes, and then Payroll Tax.
Go to Filings, and either select directly for the current year or select Annual Forms to access previous years.
You can click on View beside the options listed for Employer W-2, Employee W-2, or W-3.
This opens the forms as a PDF, which you can then print as needed.

If you don’t automate forms through QuickBooks, you’ll need to purchase proper W-2 paper to provide official copies for employees. Intuit, the company behind QuickBooks, sells W-2 kits for this purpose.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted

Under this plan, QuickBooks files W-2s and W-3s with the IRS and SSA on your behalf. You can access W-2s to print manually with these steps:

Go to Employees, and then Payroll Center.
Click on the File Forms tab.
Click on View/Print Forms & W-2s.
Provide your payroll PIN for verification.
Go to the W-2s tab and select the year.
Select individual employees or all employees.

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Click on Open/Save Selected.
This opens the forms as PDFs for printing.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced and Standard

To create and print your W-2s and W-3s, follow these steps:

Select Payroll Tax Forms from the Employees dropdown menu, then click Process Payroll Forms.
Select Annual Form W-2/W-3 from the File Forms tab.
Click on Create Form.
Select the employees to file and enter the year.
Select employees to print.
Click on Review/Edit to review each W-2, and then Submit Form to print and file.

Summary

This guide explains how to print W-2 and W-3 forms from QuickBooks, with instructions varying by payroll service. QuickBooks Online Payroll users access forms via Taxes > Payroll Tax > Filings, while Desktop Payroll Assisted and Enhanced/Standard users follow different menu paths. QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic does not support W-2 or W-3 access.

Key Facts

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic does not provide any access to W-2 and W-3 forms.

QuickBooks Online Payroll mails W-2s to employees throughout January and allows self-printing by January 13th.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted files W-2s and W-3s with the IRS and SSA on the employer's behalf.

To print W-2s in QuickBooks Online Payroll, navigate to Taxes > Payroll Tax > Filings.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted requires a payroll PIN to access W-2 forms.

Intuit sells W-2 kits for employers who do not automate forms through QuickBooks.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced and Standard use the Annual Form W-2/W-3 option under Process Payroll Forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I print a W-2 from QuickBooks Online Payroll?

Go to Taxes, then Payroll Tax. Go to Filings and select the current year or Annual Forms for previous years. Click View beside Employer W-2, Employee W-2, or W-3 to open the forms as a PDF, then print.

How do I print a W-2 from QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted?

Go to Employees, then Payroll Center. Click the File Forms tab, then View/Print Forms & W-2s. Enter your payroll PIN, go to the W-2s tab, select the year and employees, then click Open/Save Selected to open the forms as PDFs for printing.

How do I print a W-2 from QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced and Standard?

Select Payroll Tax Forms from the Employees dropdown, click Process Payroll Forms. Select Annual Form W-2/W-3 from the File Forms tab, click Create Form, select employees and year, then click Review/Edit to review each W-2 and Submit Form to print and file.

Does QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic provide access to W-2 and W-3 forms?

No, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic does not provide any access to W-2 and W-3 forms.

When does QuickBooks Online Payroll make W-2s available to print?

If QuickBooks handles your taxes and forms automatically, they mail W-2s to employees throughout January and provide the option to print them yourself by January 13th.