How bankruptcy attorneys request a W-2 from clients
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask the client for every W-2 from the last two calendar years, one per employer, and a spouse’s W-2s too. The Statement of Financial Affairs asks for income for this year and the two years before, and the W-2s give you exact annual wages to compare with the tax returns and the current pay stubs.
Why bankruptcy attorneys need a W-2
Pay stubs show current income; W-2s show what each employer reported for full years. The Statement of Financial Affairs asks for employment income for the current year and the two previous calendar years, and the W-2s let you fill it from a source the trustee can match against the tax returns. They also reveal short jobs the client forgot to mention.
What exactly to ask for
Copy B or Copy C of every W-2 for each of the two previous calendar years, from every employer, including seasonal and short jobs, for the client and a spouse whose income counts in the household. Ask the client to list their employers for those years so you can count W-2s against the list.
What to check when it arrives
- Two full years are covered, with one W-2 per employer on the client’s list.
- Box 1 wages roughly match the wages reported on the tax return for the same year.
- Box 12 shows retirement contributions, which help you trace the retirement accounts to list on Schedule A/B.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: Your W-2s from the last two years
Hi [Client name],
I hope you are holding up. Every document you send brings us one step closer to filing, and you are making good progress.
Next, I need your W-2s from the last two years, one from each employer you worked for, even briefly. If you are married, please include your spouse’s too. Your employer’s payroll portal or your tax preparer usually has the PDFs.
Could you send them by [date]? If one is missing, give me the employer’s name and the year, and I will help you track it down.
Thank you, [Your name]
Sources
The rules above come from these primary sources. Check them, and your local rules, before you rely on them.
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a W-2 or an unreadable or blurry scan. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.