This week I have seen more than a few QuickBooks questions about how to “retrieve” payroll forms from last year and the prior year, as in, “How do I retrieve my 2007 W-2’s?” and “Where can I get a copy of a 941 from last year?”
The simple answer is this: Wherever you keep your copies, that’s where you get one. Don’t count on your software to do it for you.
Keep copies of all payroll reports. QuickBooks updates its forms each year, so you can’t go back in and print something from last year, at least not correctly. It’s the responsibility of the business to keep copies of forms for their files. This can be as simple as making a PDF of the forms and filing them on your computer (making sure to keep backups of course) if you’re a paperless office, but there’s really no getting around the necessity of keeping copies for yourself.
It is not uncommon for issues to arise with past filings. I’ve had the feds come back and ask for copies of previous year’s W-2’s and 941’s, claiming they weren’t received (which is another issue entirely), and it’s my responsibility to keep those forms on hand when that happens. Don’t assume that once you’ve sent a form, it’s done and over with. This is the federal government we’re talking about here.
Also, the IRS site is pretty easy to navigate. It’s at www.irs.gov, and they have a search engine. When looking for forms and information, sometimes the fastest and most reliable method is to go there and search for what you want.
