Reminder
The Payroll Office cannot provide tax advice.
On This Page:
- Accessing Your Current Year Tax Forms
- Accessing Prior Years’ Tax Forms
- Prepare For Tax Season:
- Verify You Have Designated a Mailing Address in Workday
- Tax Forms Requiring Annual Renewal
- Resources For International Students
- Year-End Tax FAQs
Accessing Your Current Year Tax Forms
| Tax Form | How to Access It | More Info |
|---|---|---|
| IRS Form W-2 | Access Your W-2 | About IRS Form W-2 |
| IRS Form 1042-S | Access Your 1042-S | About IRS Form 1042-S |
| IRS Form 1099-R | Access Your 1099-R | About IRS Form 1099-R |
| IRS Form 1095 (A/B/C) | About IRS Form 1095 | About IRS Form 1095 |
| UW Stipend Letter | Access Your UW Stipend Letter | About UW Stipend Letter |
| IRS Form 1098-T | Download at Student Fiscal Services’ website | Student Fiscal Services Office |
| IRS Form 1099-Misc | Contactten99@uw.edu | Procurement Services |
Need tax forms from a prior year(s)?
Access your W-2s, 1099-Rs, and UW Stipend Letters from 2017 forward in Workday – follow the relevant link in the How To Access It column above for instructions.For information about accessing tax forms from prior to 2017, refer to the Accessing Prior Year Tax Forms section, below.
Prepare For Tax Season
Verify You Have Designated a Mailing Address in Workday
All employees should confirm and/or update their Mailing address in Workday to ensure timely and accurate delivery of tax documents, such as your W-2. You may be assessed state withholding tax; Washington state residents do not pay state withholding tax.
Tax forms sent by USPS mail with undeliverable addresses are returned to the Payroll Office; returned tax forms are not re-mailed. It’s the employee’s responsibility to either access their tax form online through Workday or contact the Payroll Office to request a replacement tax form.
Resources For International Students
These resources can help International Students with filing their personal tax returns:
- The Payroll Office’s Year End Tax Resources for Foreign Nationals page
- UW International Student Services’ General Tax Informationpage, which includes information about using Glacier Tax Prep (GTP) software.
- UW International Student Services’ Taxes: FAQs pages
Tax Forms Requiring Annual Renewal
- IRS Form W-4
Your W-4 Exemption status is only valid for one calendar year. If you previously claimed exempt from Federal Withholding tax and wish to claim exempt for the new year, update your withholding information in Workday no later than February 15. - IRS Form 673
IRS Form 673 (PDF) applies only to US citizens working overseas (and not resident aliens).
Note for Foreign Nationals
Tax treaty eligibility paperwork must be renewed for your federal taxation to continue to be appropriately reduced. Visit the Getting Started in Glacier Tax Compliance page for details.
Year-End Tax FAQs
How do I know which tax form I should receive?
The Payroll Office is responsible for sending out three different IRS tax forms. Form W-2s are sent to UW employees who received some form of wage or compensation in the prior calendar year. Form 1042-Ss are sent to UW employees who are Foreign Nationals who have claimed a tax treaty or code exception to taxation. Form 1099-Rs are sent to UW retirees who receive RETpayments directly from the University of Washington (not Washington State Department of Retirement Systems).
Note that UW Foreign National employees who live and work outside of the United States (and who have submitted the relevant paperwork) will not receive any United States tax forms related to their work performed overseas. For more details, visit the Ensuring Correct Taxation if Working Outside the US section of the Tax Withholding Information For Foreign Nationals page.
Where can I find my 1098-T?
1098-Ts are distributed through Student Fiscal Services (SFS). You can download your 1098-T tax form attheir website.
What is the difference between a W-2 and a W-4?
The Form W-2 is the tax form sent by the employer to both the IRS and the employee reporting an employee’s earned wages and other salary information, as well as the amount of taxes the employee had withheld from each paycheck in the prior calendar year. Employees use the information found on the Form W-2 when filing their tax return.
Employees use the W-4 to indicate how much federal withholding tax the employer should deduct from each paycheck; the Form W-4 is filled out by employees, usually during the onboarding process. Employees determine their own amount of withholding.
Can I change my withholding elections?
Yes, you can update your withholding elections in Workday at any time. For step-by-step guidance, refer to the Update Federal Withholding Elections User Guide. Any changes you make will go into effect immediately, though depending on where the University is in the payroll cycle, the change may not be reflected in your paycheck until the second pay period after you made changes. For more information about withholding calculations, visit the IRS website: IRS Withholding Tables Frequently Asked Questions.
Why did my net take-home change on my first paycheck in January?
Typically any new deduction changes (eg, increased benefit premium amounts, changes in FSA and/or DCAP contributions, etc) will be reflected in the first paycheck of a new tax year. Additionally, if an employee had met the Social Security max limitation in the prior tax year, and therefore Social Security tax payments had stopped upon meeting that limit, the employee may notice their Social Security deductions starting up again in January. Changes to IRS tax tables may also result in changes to an employee’s federal withholding, which would be reflected in the first paycheck of a new tax year.
TurboTax says I overpaid Social Security and Medicare taxes; what should I do?
You will want to verify you entered the correct amounts from your W-2s into the correct fields in TurboTax. People often incorrectly enter the amount from Box 1 on the W-2 into their Social Security Gross and/or Medicare Gross fields in TurboTax or other tax-help software; make sure you entered the amount from Box 3 for Social Security and the amount from Box 5 for Medicare. The Social Security and Medicare amounts on your W-2 are auto-calculated using federally mandated percentages.
I’ve already maxed out my Social Security at another employer; do I still have to pay it at the UW?
Yes. Because the University of Washington has an entirely different Tax ID number, you will have to pay Social Security. Your CPA or other tax advisor may have information about recouping excess Social Security contributions.
Are there any Tax Considerations for Qualified Domestic Partners (QDPs)?
Federal tax law changed in 2013 when the Internal Revenue Service and the US Department of Treasury ruled that same-sex couples, who were legally married in jurisdictions that recognized their marriages, were to be treated as married for federal tax purposes. These couples may also be known as Qualified Domestic Partners (QDPs) under Washington State law.
This ruling applies only to couples who are considered legally married and does not apply to Registered Domestic Partnerships.
If you are in a Registered Domestic Partnership, and your partner and/or child(ren) do not qualify as eligible dependents underIRC 152(PDF), the UW must report the cost of the insurance that UW provides for these dependents and the insurance contributions you make as wages on yourIRS Form W-2(displayed in box 1, 3 and 5). This is called “imputed wages.”
The UW determines IRC 152 eligibility based on the information you provide on your Declaration of Tax Status form, which is completed at the time you enroll in aPEBB health insurance plan, or at any time you change your enrollment due to aqualifying Life Event.
If you determine that your Declaration of Tax Status was incorrect for the prior tax year or requires updating, contact the Payroll Office.
For more information about Qualified Domestic Partner tax status, refer to the Dependent Verificationpage.
Questions about your W-2?
Review the FAQs on the About IRS Form W-2 page – your question may already be addressed there!
Accessing Your W-2
Your Form W-2 is usually made available in Workday* after the first payday in January. Open/expand the appropriate menu below for step-by-step instructions for accessing your W-2 in Workday.
Current employees working in the US
- Log into Workday using the Sign in to Workday link at the top right of this page.
- In the upper left corner of Workday, select Menu > Benefits and Pay Resources.
- Select the My Tax Documents button.
- Select theView/Print button under “Employee Copy,” then select Notify Me Lateron the “Your request is being processed” window. (Please note: you may need to “allow pop-ups from Workday” if your web browser blocks pop-ups).
- Your W-2 will then be delivered to yourNotificationsin Workday (select the “bell”icon at the upper right corner).
Obtaining an Accessible W-2
An accessible version of your W-2 is also available; to access it, if you haven’t already done so, you must first configure your Workday preferences to display accessible forms.
Follow these steps to both update your Workday preferences (steps 2-5) and access your accessible W-2 (steps 6-8):
- Log into Workday using the Sign in to Workday link at the top right of this page.
- In Workday, from the Person icon at the top right of the screen, select My Account.
- Select Change Preferences.
- In the screen that opens, under the Account Preferences header, select the Simplified Viewcheckbox.
- SelectOK.
- In the upper left corner select Menu > Benefits and Pay Resources.
- Select the My Tax Documents button.
- Select theAccessible Formbutton to open your accessible W-2.
Current employees working outside of the US
If your work location is outside of the United States, follow these steps to access your tax documents in Workday:
- Log into Workday using the Sign in to Workday link at the top right of this page.
- In Workday, from the “Person” icon at the top right of the screen, select View Profile.
- Select thePaytab on the left of the screen, then select theTax Documentstab on the top of the screen.
- Select theView/Printbutton under Employee Copy, and then selectNotify Me Lateron the “Your request is being processed” window. (Please note: you may need to “allow pop-ups from Workday” if your web browser blocks pop-ups).
- Your W-2 will then be delivered to yourNotificationsin Workday (select the “bell” icon at the upper right corner).
If you have a Certificate of Foreign Status, for additional guidance, refer to the Ensuring Correct Taxation if Working Outside the US section of the Tax Withholding Information For Foreign Nationals page.
Former Employees
If you no longer work at the University, you can still access your W-2s. However, the way you will access them depends on how long it has been since you were a UW employee. Visit the Resources For Former Employees page for guidance.
*Paper forms for active employees will be distributed on the second payday in January; paper forms for separated or inactive employees will be mailed to the home address listed in Workday by the end of January.
Accessing Your 1099-R
Instructions for Current Employees
- Log into Workday using the “Sign in to Workday” link at the top of this page. Then, in the upper left corner of Workday, select Menu > Benefits and Pay Resources.
- Along the left side of the screen under Suggested Links, select Payroll Links, and then select the Other Tax Documents (1099R & Stipend Letter) link.
- Once in Legacy ESS, select the Taxes link to view Available Tax Forms.
Instructions for Retirees
- Log into Workday using the “Sign in to Workday” link at the top of this page. Then, in the upper left corner of Workday, select Menu >Personal Information.
- Select the Legacy Employee Self-Service button found under “External Links.”
- Retirees who do not have access to Workday can instead directly access Legacy ESS here.
- Once in Legacy ESS, select the Taxes link to view Available Tax Forms.
Accessing Your UW Stipend Letter
- Log into Workday using the “Sign in to Workday” link at the top of this page. Then, in the upper left corner of Workday, select Menu > Benefits and Pay Resources.
- Along the left side of the screen under Suggested Links, select Payroll Links, and then select the Other Tax Documents (1099R & Stipend Letter) link.
- Once in Legacy ESS, select the Taxes link to view Available Tax Forms.
Accessing Your 1042-S
Instructions for individualswithUW Glacier Tax Compliance accounts:
- Log into theGlacier Nonresident Alien Tax ComplianceSystem
- From theMenu, selectI would like to view/print my Form 1042-S
Instructions for individualswithoutUW Glacier Tax Compliance accounts:
- Download and complete theRequest for Paper Tax Form Replacement(PDF)
- Fax the completed form (don’t ever email any form that contains your Social Security number) to the Payroll Office at 206-543-8137; or, alternatively, drop off the form in person at the Payroll Office. Note that the request for paper Form W-2s can take up to 48 hours to process.
Accessing Prior Years’ Tax Forms
Electronic Forms
Tax forms (W-2, 1099-R, and UW Stipend Letter) from 2017 forward can be accessed in Workday. Refer to the table at the top of this page for links to the relevant instructions.
Tax forms (W-2, 1099-R, UW Stipend Letter, and 1042-S) from 2012-2016 can be accessed in Legacy ESS.
In order to sign into Workday or Legacy ESS, you will need bothyour UW NetID credentials and Duo, UW’s two-factor authentication (2FA) solution.
Note For Former Employees
You are eligible for Duo through the remainder of the year in which you left the University, plus three years afterward. To enroll in Duo, visit UW-IT’s Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) page; if you are no longer within the Duo eligibility window, refer to “Requesting Paper Tax Forms,” below.If you forgot your UW NetID and/or password, or need help using Duo, pleasecontact UW-ITfor assistance.
Once inLegacy ESS, use theTaxes link to view Available Tax Forms.
Requesting Paper Tax Forms
If you are no longer eligible for Duo, or for any other reason can’t access Workday or Legacy ESS, refer to the Resources For Former Employees page for guidance.
Free tax prep services are available through the UW Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program on the UW Seattle Campus.
Go Paperless!
The Payroll Office encourages all employees to opt out of receiving paper W-2 tax forms, and to instead access their tax information online through Workday. Online tax forms are legal documents that meet all the same IRS requirements as paper forms, and are available two weeks before paper tax forms.
