Creating W-2s

Summary

The W-2s process is used to generate W-2s. Employees can be processed by reporting group or you can include all of the employees in a single batch.

The W-2 process will create the entire W-2 form (lines, borders and W-2 information), so you are not required to use special paper unless you want perforations or instructions printed on the back of the forms. If you want to print the W-2s on paper with perforations and/or instructions on the back you will need to order stock. Below is the current W-2 form and envelop that is compatible with the W-2s process. This form is available from our form supplier, SOLV Group. If you have any questions regarding the form, contact SOLV Group at https://www.thesolvgroup.com. You can also download this Customer Connect Site User Guide from SOLV for information on how to place an order.

• #L3BL --LASER W-2 Forms – 3 Up blank form. Copies B, C, 2 one employee per 8 ½ x 11 page.  Employee instructions preprinted on the reverse of copies. Uses envelope #DW3 below.
• #DW3 --Double Window ENVELOPES – Displays employer and employee name and address. For use with the Laser Forms L3BL above.

Springbrook will test the current year W-2 using only the form above. If you do not use this form, make sure the format of your form matches the one above.

Step by Step

1     Create a new W-2s batch. 

• Select the W-2 palette in PR> W-2s. This will expand the W-2s palette and display the steps of the W-2s process.
• Select New from the W-2s batch number drop-down menu to create a new batch. This will open the New Batch window.
  • If there are open batches in the W-2 process, you can create a new batch without affecting the open batches.
• Enter a Batch Month and Batch Year. These fields default to the current calendar period and are for reference only.
• Click the Generate icon to populate the Batch Number field with the next available batch number. Batch numbers are limited to five digits and must be unique within the batch month of the batch year.
  • You can also manually create a new batch by entering a Batch Number and clicking the Save icon  .
• You can delete batches by selecting a batch and pressing DELETE.

2     Generate W-2s.

• The generate step will use employee history to generate the W-2s. Once the W-2s have been generated, they can be manually modified using the Edit step. The Edit step is also used to remove W-2s from the batch or manually create new W-2s.
• Open the Generate window (PR> W-2s> Generate).
• Enter the W-2 year in the Year field.
• The Date to Use drop-down menu is used to select how payroll transactions will be pulled onto the W-2s. This should be the same type of date used when generating your other year-end statements.
  • Select Batch Year to select the checks included on the W-2s by the batch month and batch year of the batch used to create them. For example, the W-2s will include all paychecks generated in Computer Checks batches with a batch month and batch year of XXXXX.01.2022 to XXXXX.12.2022.
    • You can view the transactions on an employee grouped by batch using the Employee Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Employee> History tab> Select Batch in the Date to Use drop-down field).
  • Select Check Date to select the transactions included on the W-2s by the check date of the payroll checks.
    • The check date of a Payroll Computer Checks batch is entered during the Checks step (PR> Computer Checks> Checks> Check Date field).
    • You can view the transactions on an employee grouped by check date using the Employee Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Employee> History tab> Select Check in the Date to Use drop-down field).
  • Select Period End Date to select the transactions by the Period End date field associated with the Payroll batches.
    • The period end date of a paycheck is defined during the Generate step (PR> Computer Checks> Generate> Period End Date field). The period end date will be pulled from the pay schedule that you selected to generate paychecks on (PR> Maintenance> Pay Schedule> Period End Date column).
    • You can view the transactions on an employee grouped by period end date using the Employee Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Employee> History tab> Select Period in the Date to Use drop-down field).
• The Sort By drop-down menu is used to select the order the W-2s will print.
  • Select Department Then Name if the W-2s should be grouped by the department attached to the employee records and then by the employee last name.
    • Departments are attached to employee records using the Employee Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Employee> General tab> Department field).
  • The FICA Max field is the maximum wage amount FICA will be applied to. This field will have to be updated each year.
• The Federal ID field will display the federal tax identification number of your organization.
  • The federal identification number is entered on the Organization tab of the System Setup window (SS> Utilities> System Setup> Organization tab> Federal Tax Identification field).
• The Reporting Group field is used to filter the employees that will be processed in the W-2s batch. Click the Reporting Group field label to select a reporting group from a list.
  • If you do not enter a reporting group, the W-2s batch will contain all of the employee records. The reporting group allows you to process the employees in multiple W-2 batches.
  • Reporting groups are created and maintained using the Reporting Groups Maintenance window (PR> Maintenance> Reporting Groups). Employees are attached to reporting groups using that window.
• The Employee, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State and Zip Code fields will populate with the address information of you organization that was set up in System Setup window (SS> Utilities> System Setup> Organization tab> Name, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State and Zip fields).
  • If you change the values in these fields the new values will populate on the W-2s but the System Setup window (SS> Utilities> System Setup> Organization tab) will not be updated.
• Assign the deduction/benefit codes to W-2 boxes.
  • Enter a W-2 box number in the Box Number column to map a deduction/benefit code to a W-2 box. For example, if a deduction/benefit should display in box 12 of the W-2, enter 12 in the Box Number column. You can assign deduction/benefit codes to the W-2 boxes 7 thru 12 and box 14. If you map a deduction/benefit to box 12 or 14, you will also have to enter a code in the Code column (for example, a, b, bb).
  • Consult with your tax professional for specific information about which deduction/benefit codes should be assigned to which W-2 boxes. This is information that will be specific to your organization.
  • If you leave the Box Number field at zero, the deduction or benefit will not be included on the W-2s.
• Assign a W-2 box code to the benefits/deductions with a Box Number of 12 or 14 using the Code field.
  • The code is usually a letter between A and Z, or AA and BB.
• Check the toggle in the Retirement Plan column if you would like a check to display on the Retirement Plan box on Box 13 of the W-2. The other Box 13 check boxes (Statutory employee and Third-party sick pay) must be manually checked when the W-2s are being edited (PR> W-2> Edit).
• Press ENTER to generate the W-2s immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Confirm icon   to schedule the W-2s to generate at a later time.
  • You can view the progress of the W-2s on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).

3     Check for exceptions.

• The Exceptions step is used to notify the user of any issues that arose when the W-2s were generated.
• Open the Exceptions window (PR> W-2s> Exceptions).
• Exceptions will not prevent the W-2s batch from being processed, but any records that generate an exception will not be included in the batch. If any exceptions are displayed, you can make the required corrections and return to the Generate step.

4     View and edit every W-2 in the batch.

• The Edit step is used to manually modify the generated W-2s, create new W-2s or remove them from the batch. This step is also used to review all of the W-2s in the batch.
• Open the W-2 Selection window (PR> W-2s> Edit).
• The W-2 Selection window will display all of the W-2s that have been generated in the batch.
  • W-2s that include rollover Box 12 information can be expanded to display that information in the Overflow 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d columns.
  • Springbrook also supports this overflow functionality for Box 14 and Box 19.
• Highlight a W-2 and press DELETE to remove the W-2 from the batch.
• If an employee has a suffix (Mr., Ms., Mrs.), verify that the suffix displays in the Name field.  The employee name and social security number on the W-2 must be identical to the name and number displayed on the employee’s social security card.
  • If the suffix is missing, double click on the employee and enter the name suffix in the Name Suffix field.
• Press INSERT or click the Create icon to open a blank W-2. This option will allow you to create a W-2 from scratch.
• Select a record and press ENTER or click the Modify icon to open a W-2. This will open the Edit W-2 Record window.
• The Edit W-2 Record window will display all of the fields that will display on the W-2. Modify any of the information in the window and press ENTER or click the Save icon when complete to save the changes.
  • The Box 13 Retirement Plan check box is checked automatically during the Generate step (PR> W-2s> Generate> Retirement Plan column), but the Statutory Employee and 3^rd party Sick check boxes will have to be manually checked if they apply.
  • The 2nd State fields allow you to associate an additional set of state deductions with the employee.
• Check every W-2 in the batch for accuracy.

5     Print a Proof List.

• The Proof List will display the total of each box number on the W-2s. This report can be generated in summary format (displays a total for each box number) or detail format (displays a box total for each employee). W-2s that have the Void toggle checked will still be included in the Proof List Report totals.
• Open the W-2 Proof List window (PR> W-2> Proof List).
• The Report Type drop-down menu is used to select the level of detail that will display on the report.
  • Select Summary if you would like to display the box number total of each box on the W-2.
  • Select Detail if you would like to include the employee totals on the report. This version of the report will display the box number total for all employees and include the box total of each employee.
• Check the Show Zero Dollar Entries toggle to display zero dollar amounts on the report. The functionality of this toggle varies depending on the type of report selected in the Report Type drop-down menu.
  • If you are generating the report in Summary format, a box total will not display on the report if no employee has an amount in that box. When this toggle is checked, a zero dollar total will display on the report for the box. For example, if no employee has a value in the SS Tips (7) box, checking this toggle will add a zero dollar total for that box to the report.
  • If you are generating the report in Detail format, an employee total will not display on a box total if the employee has a zero dollar total for that box. When this toggle is checked, the employee will be added to the box total even if it is a zero amount.
• Select the box totals you would like to display on the report in the Box Selection field. Boxes selected in the Box Selection field will display on the report.
  • Press ALT+A to highlight all of the toggles in the field. Then press SPACE to check or uncheck the selected toggles.
• Click the Print icon   to process the report immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the report to generate at a later time. You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Print Preview to preview the report before printing.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel (Formatted) to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet that includes much of the Springbrook formatting found on the printed version of the report.
  • Once the report is generated, you can also display the report using the View Reports window (SS> Utilities> View Report).
• Review the Proof List Report and return to the Edit W-2s step to modify the values. If all of the W-2s are correct, proceed to the W-2s step to generate the forms.

6     Generate the W-2s.

• The W-2s step is used to generate the W-2s.This step will create a job on the Jobs Viewer window to generate the reports, and once that job is complete, you can print the W-2s onto the forms using any printer. This is just like generating reports in the application.
• You can run the W-2 step as many times as you would like, but each time you rerun this process, the previously generated W-2s will be overwritten. For example, if you generate the employee copies and then rerun the W-2 step to generate the extra copies, the employee copies will be overwritten. This means you cannot open the Jobs Viewer window and regenerate the employee copies once the extra copies have been created. That is why once the W-2s have been created, you should save a copy of them to a file.
  • You can save a copy of any report generated in the application by clicking on the Save icon   while viewing the report.
• The Print drop-down menu is used to select the forms that will be generated.
  • Select Employee Copies to create a three per page W-2 containing copy B, copy 2 and copy C for each employee in the batch.
  • Select Extra Copies to create two additional copy 2s and an additional copy C for each employee in the batch. This selection is generally used if an employee loses their W-2 copy or they require additional copy 2s for city, local or regional taxes.
  • Select Copies to print a single W-2 copy for a state, city or local government for each employee in the batch.
  • Select Employer Copies to produce a copy D W-2 for each employee in the batch.
• Press ENTER to generate the W-2s immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon   to schedule the W-2s to generate at a later time.
  • You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs). If the report has been scheduled to generate at a later time, you can view the scheduled date and time in the Scheduled Date/Time field on that window.
• The W-2 process will create the entire W-2 form (lines, borders, and W-2 information), so you are not required to use special paper unless you want perforations or instructions printed on the back.
  • If you want to print the W-2s on paper with perforations and/or instructions on the back you will need to order stock.

7     Print a test W-2.

• Once the W-2s have been created, open them up from the Jobs Viewer window (Jobs Viewer icon   on the main application window).
• The Jobs Viewer window will display all of the jobs that have been run on the application server. Select the job titled W2 and click the Print icon. This will display the generated W-2s in the Report Viewer window.
• The Report Viewer window is a PDF viewer used to view the generated W-2s. From this window you can select which W-2s you would like to print and select which printer you would like to use to print them.
• Click the Save icon on the Report Viewer window to save a copy of the generated W-2s. If you rerun the W-2 step, the W-2s will be overwritten, so you should save a copy of them either locally or on a secure server.
• Click the Print icon to generate a test copy. This will open a standard print setup window.
• At this point, do not load the forms into the printer. Print a single sheet of W-2s onto a blank piece of paper to insure that the margins are correct.
• Select a printer and using the From and To fields, print a single sheet of W-2s on a blank piece of paper to verify the margins are correct. Do not print the entire batch.
• Review the printed copy of the W-2s. If the W-2 displays correctly, move to the next step.

8     Create the export file.

• Generate the export file before you print all of the W-2s in the batch so that any mistakes found during the export process can be corrected before you print the entire batch.
• The export file created during this step contains a W-2 copy A and W-3 data and should be sent to the Social Security Administration. This step does not send the file to the SSA, it only creates the file that you will verify for accuracy using the free software. Once the file is checked for accuracy, you can send it to the SSA. These steps will be covered later in this document.
• Open the Export W-2 Data window (PR> W-2> Export).
• You will need to contact the Social Security Administration to submit the file electronically and then they will issue you a user ID number and password. This user ID is the number you will enter in the BSO User ID field. The user ID should be eight characters long.
• You will receive a validation error message if the pin is not at least eight digits long.
• Enter a Contact Name, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Contact Fax and Contact Preference. If there are problems with the file, this is the information the SSA will use to contact you.
• Select Yes in the Resubmission drop-down menu if the export file has already been submitted to the SSA. This will enable the WFID field.
• The WFID field is only used if you are resubmitting a file. The Social Security Administration assigns a unique wage file identifier (WFID) to every initial submission. If this file is being resubmitted, enter the WFID of the original file in the WFID field.
• Select the appropriate W2 Type from the drop-down menu.
• Click the Confirm icon when complete to create the export file.
  • You can view the progress of the export on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
• Once the export has finished processing, the Export Settings window will open. This window is used to specify the export path for the W-2s file.
  • Check the Open toggle if you would like to open the exported file after it is saved locally.
  • Enter the export path location and click the Save icon   to export the file to the local path.
    • The filename entered in this field is the wage file that you will test for accuracy using the free Accuwage software and then submit to the SSA. When naming the file, add the tax year so it will be easier to identify (example: 2022w2report).

9     Download the free Accuwage program and run the software to verify the accuracy of the wage file you created.

• We highly recommend using the Social Security Administration Accuwage software to verify the file created by the export step is correct before submitting it to the Social Security Administration. Click here to download the software.
• Download the software and install the program. You can install the program on any workstation.
• To test the file, open the Accuwage program and select the Start Testing button.
• Select the W-2 export file you created using the Export step (PR> W-2> Export) and the Accuwage program will test it.
• If there are any mistakes on the W-2s discovered by the Accuwage software modify the W-2s using the Edit step on the W-2s palette (PR> W-2s> Edit).
• If the format is correct, the program will give you the option to open the SSA website and begin the process of submitting the wage file.

10     Submit the wage file to the SSA.

• For more information, see the Social Security Business Services Online Tutorial at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/bsotut.htm.

11     Print the batch of W-2s.

• After you submit the wage file to the SSA, you can print the W-2s in the batch.
• If you had to modify the W-2s to correct problems found on the wage file, you will have to regenerate the Proof List and W-2s.
• Open the Jobs Viewer window and open the generated W-2s in the Report Viewer window.
• Load the W-2s forms into a printer and then print a single sheet of W-2s to verify the alignment is correct.
• If the sample copy is correct, print all of the W-2s in the batch.
• Review the printed copies of the W-2s.

12     Commit the W-2 Adjustments batch.

• After you have generated the wage file and printed the W-2s, commit the batch to complete the process.
• Open the Commit window (PR> W-2s> Commit).
• Click the OK button to commit the batch.
• Once the batch has been committed, any changes that need to be made to the committed W-2s will need to be made through the W-2 Adjustments process (PR> W-2 Adjustments).