Each year, employers must send Copy A of Forms W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) to the Social Security Administration (SSA) by the last day of February
(or last day of March if you file electronically) to report the wages and taxes of your employees for the previous calendar year.
In addition, you must give a W-2 to each employee by January 31 (for individual income tax purposes.) W-2s are sent to SSA along with a Form W-3
(Transmittal of Income and Tax Statements).
Employers are required to file Form W-2 for wages paid to each employee from whom:
- Income, social security, or Medicare taxes were withheld, or
- Income tax would have been withheld if the employee had claimed no more than one withholding allowance or had not claimed exemption from withholding on
Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate.
The 2009 wage base is $106,800.
Here's a helpful table that shows
Social Security and Medicare Maximum Wage and Tax Rates from 1937 to present. This file is an Excel file.
2009 Social Security Changes
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