Wage Reporting Software & Reference Material

Social Security Administration (SSA) Software

AccuWage/AccuW2C

AccuWage/AccuW2C is free software from SSA. It allows you to check W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) and W-2c (W-2 correction) reports for correctness before you send them to SSA. Using AccuWage and AccuW2C greatly reduces submission rejections. Download the latest version of AccuWage software as you prepare your wage reports each year.

SSA Reference Material

Online Error Reference Material

Online Error Reference Material provides information regarding Annual Wage Reporting (AWR) errors. Included in this document are brief explanations of AWR errors, suggestions for resolving errors, and other information.

File-Edit Tips for W-2

File-Edit Tips for W-2 provides tips for preventing submission rejections resulting in Resubmission Notices.

File Upload Compression

When preparing your wage reports, it is recommended that you use PKZip, WinZip, or another compatible compression software program to compress W-2 wage files before submitting them. This may reduce transmision time by up to 80 percent.

Connection Information for Software Developers

This information is for developers of payroll and tax reporting software who wish to enhance their products by incorporating the Internet business services provided by SSA.

What is Business Services Online?

Business Services Online (BSO) is a suite of Internet services for businesses and employers who exchange information with SSA. BSO users must complete a one-time registration process before using the system.

Connecting to BSO

Developers of payroll and tax reporting software can use SSA processes to access the BSO and submit wage reports. The BSO Welcome Page ( www.ssa.gov/bso/bsowelcome.htm) is the single point of entry for all BSO users. Advise your customers that they will need Internet access and a web browser with 128-bit encryption and the ability to support cookies.

Developer Tips and Resources

• Provide a link to the Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov) on the main menu of your application. This allows users to obtain filing instructions, extension request forms, and other publications.



• Provide processes for preparing wage-data files according to SSA's Specifications for Filing Forms W-2 Electronically (EFW2) standards. The EFW2 format is for original (Form W-2) files and the EFW2C format is for correction (Form W-2c) files. Both the EFW2 and the EFW2C publications can be downloaded from www.ssa.gov/employer/pub.htm.



• Incorporate into your application SSA's AccuWage software to check W-2 files or AccuW2C software to check W-2c files. These software tools can be downloaded from www.ssa.gov/employer/accuwage.



• Automatically populate the User ID field in the RA/RCA record with the User ID assigned to the person who is attesting to the accuracy of the file.



• To enable SSA to send wage-data file resubmission notices to the user's registration e-mail address, use 1 (Email/Internet) as the value for Preferred Method of Notification in the EFW2 RA/RCA record.



• Do not build submission files containing more than 1 million RW records or 50,000 RE records. If the employer needs to submit more than 1 million Forms W-2, develop your application to break them into smaller submission files.



• If the organization files on behalf of multiple employers, include no more than 500,000 RCW records or 25,000 RCE records per submission.



• Wage-data submissions must not span multiple files. Build each W-2 submission file beginning with an RA record and ending with an RF record, and each W-2c submission file beginning with an RCA record and ending with an RCF record.



• Provide a means to compress wage-data files before they are submitted to SSA. Compressing large data files can dramatically reduce transmission time. Please use any compression tool that uses a standard "zip" file format. Compress each wage-file separately to prevent the compression of multiple wage files into the same compressed file.



• Establish an option or link to the BSO Welcome Page. This allows users to connect to the BSO Welcome Page to submit the wage file. Once users log into BSO, instructions are available for successful file submission.

More Information

If you would like more information, contact an Employer Services Liaison Officer. Contact information is available at www.ssa.gov/employer/empcontacts.htm or 1-800-772-6270.