Question

Retroactive Pay

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
September 26, 2019
1 reply
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I'm pretty sure I know the answer to the following question but I would just like some clarification. I was wondering which tax year retroactive pay would apply to. I began a job beginning November of 2016 but didn't receive pay for November and December until February of 2017. I also didn't receive a W2 for 2016 (which I think answers my question) but did for 2017 (which I cannot find of course). So I was wondering, does the income for work from 2016 that was received in 2017 apply to the tax year 2017 (when it was received) or 2016 (when it was earned)?

macuser_22

Employee

It is reported in the tax year that it is paid, 2017 in this case. You should have received a 2017 W-2 no later than Jan 31, 2018. You should get a copy from your employer.

You can get a free "Wage and Income" transcript form the IRS but that is is not a copy of the W-2 and contains no state information.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

You can get an exact copy of the W-2 from the Social Security Administration for $81 per copy.
https://faq.ssa.gov/en-us/Topic/article/KA-02501

**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**