Information Returns
The recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 amended Internal Revenue Code Sec. 6051 to require employers to include an “identifying number” for each employee, rather than an employee’s social security number (SSN), on Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. The change, which will permit the Treasury Department to issue regulations requiring or permitting a truncated SSN, is noted in the Quick Answers at ¶17,707 in the Benefits category under the “Social Security” topic, and in the Quick Answers at ¶25,462 in the Compensation category under the “Payroll Taxes and Withholding” topic.
The new law also accelerates the due date for filing Form W-2 and any returns used to report nonemployee compensation (such as Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income). For statements relating to calendar year 2016 and beyond, the due date will be January 31 of the year following the year to which it relates, regardless of whether it is filed by paper or electronically. Deadlines were updated in the Quick Answers at ¶25,464 and ¶25,466 , as well as in the Analysis and Guidance at ¶25,680 . All are located in the Compensation category under the “Payroll Taxes and Withholding” topic.
