How CPA firms request a W-2 from clients
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask the S corporation owner for Copy B of the W-2 the corporation issued to them for the year, with the payroll provider’s year-end summary or Form W-3. The same W-2 feeds two returns: the officer compensation deducted on Form 1120-S and the wages on the owner’s Form 1040. Request it in January, once payroll has filed with the SSA.
Why CPA firms need a W-2
An S-corp owner who works in the business is expected to take reasonable compensation through payroll, not only distributions. The W-2 shows what was actually paid: box 1 wages for the individual return, box 5 Medicare wages to tie to the officer compensation on the 1120-S, and box 12 and box 14 entries for retirement deferrals and the owner’s health insurance, which generally belongs in box 1 wages for a shareholder-employee.
What exactly to ask for
Copy B of the owner’s own W-2 from the S corporation for the tax year, and the spouse’s if the spouse is also on payroll. Ask at the same time for the payroll provider’s year-end summary or the filed Form W-3, so you can reconcile the W-2 with the officer wages and payroll taxes on the corporate return.
What to check when it arrives
- Box 1 and box 5 tie to the officer compensation and payroll you are reporting on Form 1120-S.
- Health insurance premiums paid for the owner appear in box 1 wages, not only as a company expense.
- A W-2 exists at all: an owner paid only through distributions needs a conversation before you file.
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-2 from the company
Hi [Client name],
For both your corporate return and your personal return I need the W-2 your S corporation issued to you this year. If your spouse is on the payroll too, please include theirs.
Your payroll provider has it as a PDF, usually under Year-end or Tax forms. While you are there, please also download the year-end payroll summary or Form W-3, so I can match the wages on both returns.
Could you send these by [date]? If payroll did not run for you this year, let me know so we can talk it through before anything is filed.
Thank you, [Your name]
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.