What If You Don’t Get Your Tax Forms?

* W-2s: Employers are generally required to provide W-2 forms to employees (and 1099 forms to contract workers) by Jan. 31. If you haven’t received your forms, the IRS recommends you first call the employer or company to see if the forms were sent to the proper address or if new forms need to be sent out.

If you haven’t received missing forms by Feb. 16, call the IRS at (800) 829-1040. You will need to fill out Form 4852, “Substitute for a Missing Form W-2.” For state tax purposes, you will need FTB 3525, “Substitute Withholding Statement.” You will need the employer’s name, address (with ZIP Code), identification number if you know it and telephone number. You will also need to estimate the wages you earned, the income tax withheld and your dates of employment. Year-end pay stubs can provide much or all of this information.

* 1099s: If you’re missing 1099s, either from an employer or a financial institution, contact the companies for the information. If that’s not successful, you can usually reconstruct the missing numbers from pay stubs, brokerage statements and other records.

* 1098s: If you have a mortgage or a student loan, you also should receive a 1098 form showing how much potentially tax-deductible interest you paid during the year. Contact your mortgage lender or student loan servicer for details.