Last Updated: June 19, 2018 12:00:11 PM PDT
Find answers to frequently asked questions about W-2 statements.
Form W-2 reports taxable salary/wage payments dated in a calendar year (January 1 - December 31). All employers must issue Forms W-2 for the previous year by January 31 of the following year.
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When will I get my 2017 Form W-2?
By January 31, 2018, UC San Diego will issue 2017 Form W-2 to every employee who received salary/wage/bonus payments dated in 2017. Every W-2 will be available online through At Your Service Online (AYSO). Those who did not choose online delivery of Form W-2 will also get a copy in the mail at the address that was in the UCSD Payroll system as of 12/20/2017.
How do I get my W-2?
I got a UCSD W-2 for a year that I didn't work at UCSD!
For tax reporting purposes, wages are reported when they are paid, rather than when they are earned. You may have worked during December and received your pay on the first banking day of the following year. Also, you may have received accrued vacation leave pay out (Terminal Vacation Pay) dated last year.
My W-2 has the wrong amounts
Consider the following:
- Form W-2 reports only taxable earnings, which may not be equal total gross earnings. If they're different, you will not find your total earnings on Form W-2. You may have participated in deductions that reduce your taxable wages for tax reporting purposes, such as 403(b), Defined Contribution Plan (DC Plan) retirement, parking, van pool participation, out-of-pocket health premiums, Health Flexible Spending Account, and DepCare.
- Example: If you contributed $100/month to a retirement plan (DCP or UCRP), your taxable earnings (box 1 and box 16) will be $1200 less than your gross earnings. Retirement contributions won't be taxed until you withdraw them, the idea being that you will be making less after you retire and the tax rate will be lower than when you were earning full wages.
- Regardless of when you earned the income, the W-2 reports income paid in the calendar year.
- Example: the 2017 W-2 for a monthly paid employee will include salary/wages earned in December 2016 because they were paid January 3, 2017. It will not include salary/wages earned in December because they won't be paid until January 2, 2018.
- Review the earnings statement for the last 2017 paydate. The number on the "TAXABLE GROSS EARNINGS" line of the "Year-to-date earnings/ded" column should match Box 1 of your W-2.The number on the "CA ST TAXABLE GROSS EARNINGS" line of the "Year-to-date earnings/ded" column should match Box 16 of your W-2.
- If you claimed a tax treaty between the U.S. and your home country that exempted you from federal tax on salary/wage income, that income will not be reported in box 1 of your W-2. Instead, it will be reported on Form 1042-S.
- Fellowship income is not reported on Form W-2.
- If you were a citizen or resident for tax purposes, it is your responsibility to report and pay any tax due on fellowship income. See "General Tax Information" under "U.S. Citizen/Permanent Resident/Resident Alien" heading on the Grad Student Tax Information page, or the Tax Information arrow on the Benefits & Services tab of the Office for Postdoc and Visiting Scholar Affairs website.
- If you were a nonresident for tax purposes, fellowship income will be reported on Form 1042-S, which will be available on or after March 15, 2017 via Glacier or mail .Nonresident alien grad students can get more information about this by clicking the "General Tax Information" tab under the heading "International (Nonresident Alien)" section of the Grad Student Tax Information page. Postdocs can get more information on the taxation section of the Benefits & Services tab of the Office for Postdoc and Visiting Scholar Affairs website.
I don't understand the terms on my Form W-2
What if my address (box e) is incorrect?
Address changes don't require a W-2 correction. If the tax authorities need to contact you about your tax return, they will send mail to the address you enter on your tax return forms (1040 or 592).
TurboTax asks me to confirm that the DCP items in box 14 are a type of mandatory tax. Is it a tax?
DCP (Defined Contribution Plan) is not a tax; it is a mandatory savings plan for retirement purposes.
Why aren't my December earnings reflected in the W-2?
For tax reporting purposes, wages are reported when they are
paid, rather than when they are earned. December earnings are paid on the first banking day in January and are therefore reported in the new tax year.
What is the Other Income amount on my W-2 statement?
This amount is non-payroll income that is taxable. Common examples include: travel,
moving expenses, or training and educational grants paid to you or on your behalf.
Why are box 1 wages (federal) and box 3 wages (Social Security) different?
The following deductions reduce your federal (box 1), Social Security (box 3), and Medicare (box 5) wages:
The following deductions reduce only federal (box 1) and state (box 16) grosses:
My year-to-date FICA tax deductions on my last pay stub for the year do not equal my Social Security tax withheld in box 4 of the W-2. Why?
FICA tax comprises the Social Security tax withheld (box 4) and Medicare tax withheld (box 6). Add these two items together and the sum should equal the FICA tax deduction displayed on your last paycheck of the year.
Where is State Disability Insurance (SDI) on my W-2 statement?
UC does not deduct SDI from your paychecks, so it is not reported on your W-2 statement.
What is UCSD's FEIN (Federal Tax Identification Number)?
UCSD's FEIN is 95-6006144. You'll find it in box b of your W-2.
I still have questions about my W-2
Current employees:
submit questions via ASK (Blink/business tools/ASK/BFSupport) (login required). Enter W-2 as the subject, write your question in the "description" box, choose Payroll as Primary category, and Payroll Taxation as subcategory. After you submit your question, you will receive an email notification that a case has been created for you. You will also receive email notifications with follow up and resolution information.
Former employees: email payrollquestions@ucsd.edu. Use W-2 as the subject. If possible, include your employee ID/control number from box d of Form W-2 in your message.