Coming soon to a forum near you: "I was seasonal (fill in the title),when will my W-2 arrive?

[Alexcross774]

Can't wait. Should be nice filtering through the great questions.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

By law they must be postmarked by the 31st. We usually get the paper copy by the 25th and the online version by the 18th.

 

[ChickenLegs]

I agree with upstate

 

[Anonymous 10]

Tell them to call 867-5309 if they haven't gotten it by 2/1/14

 

[Bubblehead]

Tell them to call 867-5308 if they haven't gotten it by 2/1/14

Who should I ask for?

 

[Anonymous 10]

Who should I ask for?

Jenny of course

 

[Bagels]

I doubt it. We only had a minimal number of seasonal-related posts this year compared to years' past. Few driver helpers and few 'I'm going to be an off-the-street hire! Sorry to all you PT suckers' types that never post again (and are seen working at Walmart months later).

 

[Jackburton]

I doubt it. We only had a minimal number of seasonal-related posts this year compared to years' past. Few driver helpers and few 'I'm going to be an off-the-street hire! Sorry to all you PT suckers' types that never post again (and are seen working at Walmart months later).

I have a theory it's because the economy is getting better and repeat helpers are what came back this year as newcomers had more options of seasonal work.

 

[Kae3106]

Christmas week was week ending 12/28 and was paid in January so that week was 2014 wages. We should see a nice mix of "why aren't all of my wages on my W-2?" and next year, "why did I get a 2014 W-2 when I worked there a year ago?"

Then we'll get a few who enter their box 1 wage total into Turbo Tax for all of the wage boxes without realizing that federal, FICA, and Medicare wages can be different. When Turbo Tax tells them they were overwithheld on their FICA/Med taxes, they'll demand a refund and we'll have to tell them to try again with the correct wage boxes.

Then we'll have some demanding a 2013 W-2C when the retro is finally paid. A W-2C will not be granted because the IRS cares when you received the pay, not when you performed the work.

I love tax season. That said, if anyone is having a true issue getting their W-2 or has a tax question, PM me after Jan 31 and I'll get you to the right contacts.

 

[Bagels]

Christmas week was week ending 12/28 and was paid in January so that week was 2014 wages. We should see a nice mix of "why aren't all of my wages on my W-2?" and next year, "why did I get a 2014 W-2 when I worked there a year ago?"

Then we'll get a few who enter their box 1 wage total into Turbo Tax for all of the wage boxes without realizing that federal, FICA, and Medicare wages can be different. When Turbo Tax tells them they were overwithheld on their FICA/Med taxes, they'll demand a refund and we'll have to tell them to try again with the correct wage boxes.

Then we'll have some demanding a 2013 W-2C when the retro is finally paid. A W-2C will not be granted because the IRS cares when you received the pay, not when you performed the work.

I love tax season. That said, if anyone is having a true issue getting their W-2 or has a tax question, PM me after Jan 31 and I'll get you to the right contacts.

Good information, but overgeneralized: the IRS expects that taxes are paid in the year in which income was earned, not received; however, the IRS accepts regularly scheduled pay periods in which income would be dispensed in the following year to be considered income of that year (as well as tax on retro pay). However, if I knew UPS shorted me in November but waited until it'd be paid after the new year -- when I may be in a lower tax bracket -- to be dispensed, that's tax evasion. A UPS manager retiring in 2014 asking for his 2013 bonus to be paid in January is also an example of tax evasion. Although I'm sure stuff like this happens all the time...

Not that anyone cares, but just to clarify people's curiosity...

 

[Kae3106]

Good information, but overgeneralized: the IRS expects that taxes are paid in the year in which income was earned, not received; however, the IRS accepts regularly scheduled pay periods in which income would be dispensed in the following year to be considered income of that year (as well as tax on retro pay). However, if I knew UPS shorted me in November but waited until it'd be paid after the new year -- when I may be in a lower tax bracket -- to be dispensed, that's tax evasion. A UPS manager retiring in 2014 asking for his 2013 bonus to be paid in January is also an example of tax evasion. Although I'm sure stuff like this happens all the time...

Not that anyone cares, but just to clarify people's curiosity...

General typically covers most of the questions we receive.

Wages are considered taxable when they are constructively received or available to the employee. Therefore, in most cases, wages are considered taxable on the check date when the funds are made available. We deposit to the IRS based on the check date.

Deliberately tweaking the check dates as in your example of a post dated bonus check is evasion and we don't do that in our system. A payroll adjustment processed in January for an incorrect December check is just a simple error. If you intentionally waited to tell Payroll your check was wrong because you wanted it to fall into another year, it could be evasion but it would be hard for us to prove.

 

[Bagels]

General typically covers most of the questions we receive.

Wages are considered taxable when they are constructively received or available to the employee. Therefore, in most cases, wages are considered taxable on the check date when the funds are made available. We deposit to the IRS based on the check date.

Deliberately tweaking the check dates as in your example of a post dated bonus check is evasion and we don't do that in our system. A payroll adjustment processed in January for an incorrect December check is just a simple error. If you intentionally waited to tell Payroll your check was wrong because you wanted it to fall into another year, it could be evasion but it would be hard for us to prove.

But UPS (HR, not payroll) does assist managerial employee in tax evasion; here, they base management's paychecks out of another facility as to avoid the non-resident city tax. They justify this by saying management may be moved at any time; yet that does not alleviate the responsibility of paying the same taxes as the PTers. (Nor should it apply to PT supervision, which here are never moved unless they request it or as a compromise during a discipline situation.) All of the drivers here as well have weaseled their way out of the city tax, saying they don't work in the city -- even the ones with routes in it.

I do have a question for you, though. When working inside as well as jumping (CS so two separate pay rates), my paychecks list an "OT OTHER" category alongside my regular OT and jumping OT. Usually it's just a few bucks, sometimes it's as much as $50, but I'm curious as to where it comes from.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Good information, but overgeneralized: the IRS expects that taxes are paid in the year in which income was earned, not received; however, the IRS accepts regularly scheduled pay periods in which income would be dispensed in the following year to be considered income of that year (as well as tax on retro pay). However, if I knew UPS shorted me in November but waited until it'd be paid after the new year -- when I may be in a lower tax bracket -- to be dispensed, that's tax evasion. A UPS manager retiring in 2014 asking for his 2013 bonus to be paid in January is also an example of tax evasion. Although I'm sure stuff like this happens all the time...

Not that anyone cares, but just to clarify people's curiosity...

What you call "tax evasion" I call "tax planning".

 

[Bagels]

What you call "tax evasion" I call "tax planning".

The IRS considers it tax evasion, not me. Taxes are paid in the year income is earned, although as pointed out above the IRS accepts regularly scheduled pay periods that dispense income in the following year to be taxed that year (as well as supplemental back pay). Intentionally deferring that pay is tax evasion .

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The IRS considers it tax evasion, not me. Taxes are paid in the year income is earned, although as pointed out above the IRS accepts regularly scheduled pay periods that dispense income in the following year to be taxed that year (as well as supplemental back pay). Intentionally deferring that pay is tax evasion .

So when I choose to pay my January mortgage on Dec. 31st so that I can write off the interest in 2013 rather than 2014 is that tax planning or evasion?

 

[Ouch]

So when I choose to pay my January mortgage on Dec. 31st so that I can write off the interest in 2013 rather than 2014 is that tax planning or evasion?

You paying your mortgage early and the IRS going with a payroll plan is 2 different things. Come on you should know how things work.

 

[Catatonic]

Good information, but overgeneralized: the IRS expects that taxes are paid in the year in which income was earned, not received; however, the IRS accepts regularly scheduled pay periods in which income would be dispensed in the following year to be considered income of that year (as well as tax on retro pay). However, if I knew UPS shorted me in November but waited until it'd be paid after the new year -- when I may be in a lower tax bracket -- to be dispensed, that's tax evasion. A UPS manager retiring in 2014 asking for his 2013 bonus to be paid in January is also an example of tax evasion. Although I'm sure stuff like this happens all the time...

Not that anyone cares, but just to clarify people's curiosity...

2013 MIP bonus is paid in March 2014 and will be on the W2 for 2014.

I retired March 1, 2013 and I decided to roll my 2012 MIP bonus into my 401k plan to avoid taxes in 2013.

 

[Bagels]

So when I choose to pay my January mortgage on Dec. 31st so that I can write off the interest in 2013 rather than 2014 is that tax planning or evasion?

Tax planning.

2013 MIP bonus is paid in March 2014 and will be on the W2 for 2014.

Probably regularly scheduled, thus considered OK and not an intentional deferment.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

You paying your mortgage early and the IRS going with a payroll plan is 2 different things. Come on you should know how things work.

What about realtors who ask their employers to hold and date their commission check for the following year or ask them to issue them in the previous year?

 

[Ouch]

What about realtors who ask their employers to hold and date their commission check for the following year or ask them to issue them in the previous year?

I mean I cant stop you or anyone else for not doing the honest thing I'm just simply stating the way you look at something and the way the IRS looks at something is two different things.