Last modified: Wednesday, November 17, 2004
W-2 forms for IU employees to be available online with consent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Beginning this fall, current and former Indiana University employees expecting a W-2 wage and tax statement from any IU campus can request online delivery and receive the document sooner than if it were delivered by U.S. mail.
The IRS has approved delivery of W-2 wage and tax statements online -- with the employee's consent -- and IU Financial Management Services has contracted with TALX Corp. for electronic and mail delivery of W-2 statements.
IU faculty, staff and student employees can opt for online delivery -- which will allow them to receive their W-2s earlier than with traditional mail delivery -- by completing a simple, one-time registration process online. To register, employees should log in to https://onestart.iu.edu/ with their IU network ID and password, and look for the "Electronic W-2" link on the "My Finances" channel of the "Faculty Tools," "Staff Tools" or "Student Tools" tab. Once registered, employees will receive a confirmation e-mail.
On or before Jan. 31, employees who have opted for online delivery will receive an e-mail notifying them that their W-2 forms are available. W-2 forms can be printed out or downloaded directly into a number of tax-preparation software programs. Should the electronic delivery fail for any reason, TALX will send the W-2 online notification to the mailing address of record.
According to Art Lindeman, IU assistant vice president for financial management services, the registration process is not only simple but secure.
"People are understandably concerned about the security of personal information on the Web," Lindeman said. "However, TALX does not resell, distribute or disclose personal information like Social Security numbers to third parties, and our security staff in UITS has reviewed and approved the use of this service."
Lindeman also noted that there are a number of benefits to receiving a W-2 statement online. In addition to being able to download information directly into a tax-preparation software program, they include:
- Online delivery provides access to the W-2 statement earlier than the traditional mail process.
- Online delivery eliminates the chance that the W-2 statement will get lost, misdirected or delayed during delivery or misplaced after the employee receives it.
- Employees can receive their W-2 statements even while traveling or on assignment away from their home address.
- Employees can retrieve their W-2 statements at any time of day and on weekends.
Choosing electronic delivery also benefits the university. According to Lindeman, IU prepared and distributed 47,000 W-2 statements last year. With this new service, the university expects to save approximately 25 percent of traditional printing and mailing costs.
For more information, please visit the FMS Web site at https://www.fms.indiana.edu/tax/w2/w2express.asp or contact Susan Williams at 812-855-8773, sulwilli@indiana.edu.
