Paycheck calculator › Form 4852

Lost or missing W-2? Form 4852 substitute W-2 helper (2026)

If an employer never sends your W-2 (closed down, won't respond, or it's lost and they can't reissue), the IRS lets you file with Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, using your best estimate of wages and withholding — normally from your final pay stub. This helper turns the stub's year-to-date figures (or a pay-rate estimate) into the amounts Form 4852 asks for, with the explanation the form requires. Free.

Your numbers

Year-to-date gross from your last pay stub
YTD federal tax withheld
YTD Social Security withheld
YTD Medicare withheld
YTD state tax withheld
No pay stub? Estimate from your pay rate
Gross pay per period
Periods worked this year
State

Result

Line 7a — wages, tips, other compensation (Box 1)
Line 7a — federal tax withheld
Line 7b — Social Security tax
Line 7c — Medicare tax
Line 7d — state tax withheld
Line 9 — how you determined the amounts

2026 tablesSource: IRS · SSA · state revenue departmentsChecked every Monday · change log · how it's calculated

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The steps the IRS expects before you use Form 4852

  1. Ask the employer for the W-2 (they must furnish it by January 31).
  2. If it hasn't arrived by mid-February, call the IRS (800-829-1040) with the employer's name, address, EIN if you know it, your dates of employment and your estimate; the IRS contacts the employer and sends you Form 4852.
  3. File your return with Form 4852 attached, using the figures above. If the real W-2 turns up later and differs, file Form 1040-X.

Form 4852 estimates come from your own records — a pay stub, bank deposits, an offer letter. Inventing wages or withholding on it is filing a false return. This page computes; it does not produce a W-2.

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Frequently asked

Can I file without a W-2?

Yes, with Form 4852 after you've tried to get the W-2 and contacted the IRS. E-file software supports it; some preparers ask you to wait until February 15.

What if I have no pay stub?

Estimate from your pay rate and the periods you worked; the helper computes the withholding a normal employer would have taken at {YEAR} rates and states that this is an estimate on line 9.

Will using Form 4852 delay my refund?

Often a little — the IRS may verify against the employer's filings. Accurate estimates keep it short.