W-2s are due to employees and the SSA by January 31 — one date, every year, expensive to miss. Set a reminder now and get advance emails before the deadline, so you file on time instead of paying per-form penalties that start at $60 each.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
Per-form penalties charged by the IRS, scaling with how late you file.
per W-2 if you file within 30 days of the deadline
IRS Information Return Penalties, tax year 2025
per W-2 if you file after August 1 or not at all
IRS Information Return Penalties, tax year 2025
per W-2 minimum for intentional disregard, with no annual cap
IRS Information Return Penalties
W-2 filing happens once a year, on the last day of January, in a two-week window most small business owners spend recovering from the holidays and closing out year-end books. You have to reconcile payroll totals, confirm every employee's SSN and address, generate copies for employees, and file the SSA copy — all before January 31.
Payroll software will usually flag the deadline eventually, but in mid-January, when you are already chasing an employee who moved and did not update their address. A calendar note you made last April gets dismissed and forgotten. The SSA does not send you a warning email the week before it is due.
The fix is a reminder that arrives early enough to actually do something about it. Seven days out is enough time to chase a missing address or a corrected SSN. One day out is a backup. The day-of email is the last nudge.
The W-2 deadline is an annual event on a fixed date. A reminder you set now works for every tax year going forward, not just this one.
Use the form above. Prefilled with the W-2 deadline. The reminder repeats every year automatically.
You get notices 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before. Enough time to reconcile payroll, confirm SSNs, and file without rushing.
If January 31 passes without you clicking "I filed", a few follow-up emails land so the task does not quietly disappear.
January 31 is actually two deadlines wearing the same date. Employers must furnish copies B, C, and 2 of the W-2 to each employee, and file copy A with the Social Security Administration. Both are due by January 31. Missing either one triggers penalties — they are assessed separately.
Mail or hand-deliver copies B, C, and 2 to every employee by January 31. If an employee consented to electronic delivery in writing, you can deliver electronically by the same date. The SSA treats mailed forms as on time if they are postmarked by the deadline.
File copy A through SSA Business Services Online or approved payroll software, also by January 31. Businesses filing 10 or more information returns in total (W-2s plus 1099s plus others) must file electronically. The IRS e-file mandate applies to W-2s as well.
Penalties, missing SSNs, and the panic of realizing you forgot.
$60 to $680 for every W-2 you file late. A company of 25 employees late past August 1 is an $8,250 bill — for one calendar miss.
See the full penalty schedule →January 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday. The effective W-2 deadline shifts to Monday, February 2. Confirm the date before you set a calendar note.
2026 W-2 deadline →SSA Business Services Online, the e-file threshold, Form W-3, and the prep work you need before January 31. Start here if this is your first year.
How to file W-2s →Deadlines, penalties, how to file, and what to do if you never received yours.
Forms W-2 are due to both employees and the Social Security Administration by January 31. The deadline is the same whether you file electronically or on paper. If January 31 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the due date shifts to the next business day.
W-2s go to the Social Security Administration (SSA), not the IRS. Employers file through SSA Business Services Online or approved payroll software. The IRS receives the data from the SSA after filing, and uses it separately for tax return matching.
Enter your email and keep the prefilled January 31 date above. You will get advance emails 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before the deadline, plus one on the day itself. The reminder repeats every year automatically, so you do not have to remember to set it again next January.
The IRS charges a penalty per form, starting at $60 per W-2 if filed within 30 days late and rising to $680 per W-2 for intentional disregard (tax year 2025 figures). The SSA can also assess separate penalties for late filing of the W-2 copy. Ten employees late past August 1 is a $3,300 penalty — for missing one date.
Form W-3 is the transmittal summary that accompanies paper W-2 filings. If you file electronically through SSA Business Services Online, the W-3 data is generated automatically from your W-2 submission — you do not file a separate W-3. If you file on paper, you must include a W-3 with copies A of the W-2s.
The calendar date does not change — January 31 for Form W-2 is fixed by statute. The effective deadline shifts only when the date lands on a weekend or federal holiday. In 2026, January 31 falls on a Saturday, so the effective W-2 deadline is Monday, February 2, 2026.
Free. No account. Takes 30 seconds. You'll get advance emails before January 31 every year — so a quiet evening filing beats a five-figure penalty bill.
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