How to enable W-2 Online Access for employees?
865 views | Last modified 10/14/2022 6:07:07 AM EST | Added by TaxBandits Team

TaxBandits Online Access is an exclusive feature that allows employees to access their forms W-2, 1099, 1095, 1098T, and 5498 online through a secure portal. The employer has to enable this feature to give access to the employees for accessing their forms online.

In this article, we discuss how employers can give online access to the employees to access their W2s securely. Basically, it can be done at 2 stages, namely:

                    i) When Form W-2 is being filed

                    ii) After W-2 is transmitted to the IRS

When Form W-2 is being filed:

• Log in to your TaxBandits account and select the Start New -> Form -> W-2.
• Choose the appropriate tax year to continue.

When Adding Employee details manually:

When you’re adding employee details manually, the option to enable online access will be available. Check the option, Select if you want to allow this employee to access Form W-2 Online. If it is enabled, employees can view and download their tax returns through an online portal.

Click the Save and Continue button.

When Adding Employees through Bulk Upload

1. Download the Excel/CSV template and fill the employee details in it.
2. Select Yes under the Online Access column in the Excel/CSV template for all the employees you want to enable online access. The employee’s email address is mandatory if you have enabled Online Access.   
3. Select No under the Online Access column for the employees you want to disable the online access.

       4. Upload the filled template and complete the subsequent steps to transmit the returns to the IRS.

After W-2 is transmitted to the IRS:

If you've opted for online access for employees when adding the Employer, and disabled it for selected individuals when filing, you can enable them again from the dashboard after the form is transmitted. Follow the instructions below to enable:

1. Log in to your TaxBandits account. 

2. In the home screen, navigate to Distribution Center -> Online Access.

3. Select Manage Online Access for the corresponding business.

4. Click on Enable Recipient Access.

5. Enter the employee's email address and click the Enable Online Access button. (Email address is mandatory to give online access).

6. Complete your payment order by providing payment details.

Once the returns are processed at the TaxBandits e-file system and transmitted to the IRS, a secure link will be triggered to the employee’s email. The employees can click that link and enter the last four digits of their SSN to access the forms.

Note: By enabling this option, the employees will have online access to all their forms that apply to them, including Form W-2.