Period-end tasks

Preparing Forms W-2 and W-3

You can use AccountEdge to prepare and print certified copies of all your W-2 and W-3 forms. Forms W-2 and W-3 use the same information from your company file, although each form reports this information differently. Form W-2 shows complete information about each employee's income, deductions, withholding and expenses for the year, and Form W-3 summarizes this information for your entire company.

Note:  You will be able to print only demo copies of most forms until you have registered

Information for W-2 forms is tracked using the Current Payroll Year for your company file. To learn the current payroll year of your AccountEdge company file and other general payroll information, choose General Payroll Information from the Setup menu.

Preparation process for Forms W-2 and W-3

As with all other AccountEdge Payroll Tax Forms, the process of building and processing W-2s and W-3s begins in the Select Payroll Tax Form window. Unlike the other forms, however, you will be led through a multi-window process to build Forms W-2 and W-3. The main windows that you use to prepare W-2s and W-3s are:

Editing data on Forms W-2 and W-3

You can enter or change amounts that print on W-2 forms by using the Payroll Tax Form Viewer to manually adjust the calculated amounts on individual W-2s.

Note:  Changes you make here do not affect the data in your company file

You should always prepare and print W-2 and W-3 forms before you close the payroll year and begin the new one. You should also make a point of backing up your AccountEdge company file after printing these documents and before closing the year. Once the year is closed, detailed payroll information is no longer available for that year and W-2 forms and other reports can't be printed. If you've made a backup, however, you can restore that backup and print the necessary documents.

For more information

If you have questions about preparing or filing Forms W-2 and W-3, consult your accountant or tax advisor. You can find detailed information about completing all federal payroll forms, including Forms W-2 and W-3, at the Internal Revenue Service website.

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