Printing Information Returns

Greg Hatfield Updated by Greg Hatfield

The Print Forms Screen displays when the user selects PRINT W-2/1099 from the module list on the Module Library screen in the W-2/1099 Information Returns program. The same screen is displayed when the user selects PRINT W-2C from the same list in the Payroll Corrector program. The dialog screen allows the user to print Forms W-2, 1099, 1098, and W-2c for selected employees/recipients for the current Client. Below is a description of the various parts of the screen.

Form/Copy Options

The desired form to print may be selected from the dropdown list which displays forms appropriate for the current program licenses. The available printing options for black or red forms will be displayed below the selection. Red OR Black forms may be printed at one time. If Black forms are selected, the user must check the boxes next to the copies desired. Any combination of black forms may be printed at one time, however, certain copies (such as W-2 employee copy) print 4-up. 2-up and 4-up copies should only be mixed when printing on plain paper as there is no pause between printing the different copies.

Acceptable since 2001: Form W-2, Copy A, may be printed as a special black scannable form that may be submitted to the SSA. See SSA printer specifications in IRS Pub 1141 before printing the black scannable form. It is not required to be printed on special red paper.

Recipient Options

A list of employee/recipients for the selected Form Type is displayed. Note that this list DOES NOT contain recipients with NO NUMERICAL DATA in their record. Such records would include those for employees/recipients imported from the previous year's program whose records were not completed with numerical data or records where only names and addresses were entered. Records such as those should not be printed for submittal and are not included in the list.

The contents of the list may be modified by selecting options from the dropdown lists labeled Employee Type and Filing State under Define Recipient List. The options depend on the form selected. For instance W-2s are typically printed in groups by employee type (regular 941, military, etc.) on red forms for submittal to the Social Security Administration.

When printing state copies for employers filing in multiple states, the desired state may be selected from the list for W-2s and 1099s. W-2s are displayed if the selected state appears in either state box on the form. 1099s are displayed only if the selected state was chosen as the filing state when saving the form. Note that this is not necessarily the same as the state tax fields on Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-R. When printing Form W-2c displaying All States is the only option.

After defining the list, the user must select one of the option buttons to Print All Recipients in List or Print Selected Recipients. To print selected recipients, select the recipients from the list by clicking on the recipient name. To select a group of recipients that are next to each other, select the first; then, while holding down the SHIFT key, select the last recipient. To select multiple recipients that are not next to each other, hold the CTRL key down while selecting.

Masked SSN/EIN: The IRS program for truncating an individual’s identifying number on paper payee statements was extended in final regulations. A checkbox allows 1098/1099 payee statements to be printed with a truncated or masked SSN or EIN showing only the last four digits (e.g. XXX-XX-1234 or XX-XXX1234). This is known as a truncated taxpayer identification number (TTIN). This is an effort by the IRS to minimize the risk of identity theft. It is only for the paper payee statement provided to the recipient, typically copies B, C, and 2. It is not for the copies provided to the government by the payer, nor is it for electronically transmitted files. The entity providing the form to the recipient cannot mask their own taxpayer identification number. Beginning with tax year 2020, SSNs may be truncated on payee copies (B, C, 2) of Form W-2 (W-2, W-2AS, W-2GU, W-3VI, W-2c).

When printing data on preprinted Red forms, occasionally adjustments to print positions is necessary due to variations in paper alignment. Boxes are displayed to allow entry of data offsets in both horizontal (side to side) and vertical (up and down) directions for all form copies on a given sheet. The offset numbers correspond to 1440 per inch. Hence one character width would be 144 or 1/10 inch. Enter the offsets as necessary. A test form may be printed by clicking the Test Alignment button. Settings will be saved when exiting the screen.

Similar boxes are used to adjust the printing position of the black forms. This may be useful for positioning the form within a windowed envelope.

The default printer may be changed by clicking the Setup button. When ready to print, click the Print button. The user will be prompted to insert the required number of sheets of paper. Click OK to continue.

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