W-2 Questions and Answers
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W-2 Questions and Answers: For Agency Payroll Offices

1) Are there employee-level instructions regarding how to view W-2's, update W-2 consent status's, add/update email addresses and home/mail addresses?

Yes, the employee-level instructions are posted under this URL:  https://www.core-ct.state.ct.us/selfservice/payroll/Default.htm


2) If an employee has security questions regarding how to access Core-CT, who do they call?

The employee should contact the agency's security liaison for questions about this. Here is a link to a list of security liaisons for each state agency:  https://www.core-ct.state.ct.us/security/CP-HRMS_LIAISONS_LIST-long-sort.aspx


3) What is the last day an employee can update his/her W-2 consent status or change his/her home/mailing address for purposes of year-end?

December 21st is the last day for calendar year 2022.


4) An employee is asking why our department id and employee id is listed on the second address line in the envelope window of the W-2. Why is this information listed here?

This information is for employees who received a printed W-2 in the mail from OSC. The Department/employee id info allows OSC to forward any returned W-2's to agencies due to an outdated employee-level mailing address.


5) How will terminated, deceased, retired, or employees on some type of leave receive their W-2 if they are setup as e-W-2 on their Core-CT consent page since they may no longer have access to Core-CT?

Core-CT will run a program to automatically change employees from e-W-2 to a printed W-2 on the day after the last payroll confirm of the calendar-year (this day could change depending on the batch cycle). A communication will be sent to agencies once this program runs to success.


6) If an employee requires a W-2 correction (W-2-C), will the W-2-C be available via the self-service page?

Yes, the W-2-C will be available to both the agency and the employee via the self-service page (assuming the employee has Core-CT self-service access)


7) Why can't I log-on to Core-CT on my Apple device?

 For a list of all supported browsers, you can visit this URL:  https://www.core-ct.state.ct.us/support/pdf/Supported_Browser.pdf


8) An employee revoked his/her consent to have electronic W2 forms via W-2 consent page in Core-CT. When attempting to save the Core-CT consent page change, the employee is receiving a message that says he/she does not have a preferred email address and will not receive email confirmations. How can the employee correct this to ensure they will receive electronic messages?

As long as the agency has the electronic update of address and email address as an accessible option to their employees, the employee may follow this job aid to add an email address:

https://www.core-ct.state.ct.us/selfservice/payroll/pdf/Self_Service_Add_Email_Address_Job_Aid.pdf 


9) The social security number listed on the employee's W2 is not correct. What should the agency do to have this corrected?

The agency should send an email to osc.payroll@ct.gov to have this corrected.


10) An employee is questioning why his/her Box 1 Federal wages do not match the Box 16 State Wages? What is the reason for this?

Certain deduction codes are subject to Federal tax but not State tax (example: Taxable medical deduction codes). Agencies may look at the employee's year to date deductions and look for the 'taxable deduction codes'. The difference between the Fed wage and State Wage should match the taxable deduction YTD total(s).


11) If we have an employee who is teaching part time but has retired from state service will their W-2 be available on line? Does the state create one W-2 which includes their pension and part time earnings?

The employee will receive a 1099-R (mailed, not available online) for his/her retirement wages and a W-2 for his/her teaching wages. The W-2 is available to agencies online and available to the employee if he/she has self-service access to Core-CT.


12) What should I do if an employee's W-2 pension box is checked and I do not believe it should be?

The agency payroll office should contact osc.payroll@ct.gov  and request a correction. If the correction is approved, PSD will issue a W2-C.


13) How far back can W-2's have corrections issued (W-2-C's)?

Generally, 3 years is the rule (for FICA/Medicare corrections per section 205(c)(1) of the Social Security Act (also called 42 U.S.C. 405)).


14) Why are the employee amounts on the W-2 more than I was expecting here at my agency?

Most likely answer: The employee worked more than one job during the W-2 calendar year (example: full time employee at one agency, part time lecturer at one of the state colleges/universities). Employees receive one W-2 at the end of the year regardless of how many active jobs the employee has worked. Core-CT is configured to print multiple checks for multiple jobs (record #'s) but maintains a single set of wage/tax balances (a single W-2 is issued).


15) What is the amount listed in Box 14Y (414H)?

Annual employee level retirement contribution totals.


16) What is the oldest year the agency can request an employee W-2 re-print from OSC?

Calendar year 1990. Agency payroll offices may view and reprint W-2's for calendar years 2011 through the current year. W-2's prior to 2011 must be requested by agencies via the following link:  https://www.core-ct.state.ct.us/hr/w2/request.htm


17) Can the Comptrollers Office (PSD) refund prior year state or federal taxes for employees?

No, once the calendar year is closed, only FICA/Medicare can be refunded and/or adjusted for employees via the W-2-C process (generally, 3 years is the farthest we can go back and refund/adjust for SS/Medicare per section 205(c)(1) of the Social Security Act (also called 42 U.S.C. 405)). Additional information regarding prior year taxes and/or the Statute of Limitations can be found in IRS Publication 525.


18) Why is the "Total Gross YTD" column on the employee's pay/advice stub not equal to my Federal Wage (Box 1) on the employee's W-2?

Box 1 (Federal Wage) on the W-2 is total wages minus pre-tax deductions (year to date). Employee's pre-tax deduction year to date totals are also listed on employees check/advice stubs. In addition, if employees have been paid non-taxable earnings during the calendar year, these earnings are included in their total gross on their check/advice stub but are not included on their W-2 (as these earnings are non-taxable).


19) One of my employees received two W-2's from the Comptroller Office, what should I do?

If an employee received two W2's from OSC, this means the employee has more than one employee number and potentially more than one social security number in Core-CT. The agency should send an email to osc.payroll@ct.gov  to initiate the W-2 correction process as soon as possible.


20) What does Box 12 DD "Cost of Employer Sponsored Health Coverage" represent and why is it on the W-2?

The total amount in Box 12 DD represents the aggregate employee and employer share medical costs as well as the aggregate employer prescription cost (for Core-CT users, the eligible plan types are: 10, 15, 1A, 1B). This amount is not inclusive of dental costs. The reason(s) this amount is included on the W2 can be found under the following IRS URL: 

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/employer-provided-health-coverage-informational-reporting-requirements-questions-and-answers

or Section 6051(a)(14) provides generally that the aggregate cost of applicable employer-sponsored coverage (as defined in � 4980I(d)(1)) must be reported on Form W-2.


21) I have a part-time professor/instructor/rehired retiree working for our agency and I cannot view their W-2 consent page or their W-2 electronically. How will I produce a W-2 reprint if the employee calls our agency payroll office?

Retirees who are re-employed or working as a part-time professor/instructor should receive their W-2 in the mail directly from OSC. Please make sure to communicate the importance of keeping their Core-CT address current to ensure the employees receive their W-2 in the mail. If agencies do not have access to an employee's electronic W-2 record, they should send an email to osc.payroll@ct.gov  and request a reissue (indicating the reissue request is due to a re-employed retiree).


22) What happens to employees who retire after the W-2 process is run by OSC? How will the e-W-2 employees who can no longer access Core-CT receive their W-2's if they are not printed by OSC?

Before these employees officially retire, agencies should ask the employees to log-in to Core-CT and change their e-W-2 consent status from "electronic W-2" to a "printed W-2". Agencies should include the job aid link in the communication:

https://www.core-ct.state.ct.us/selfservice/payroll/Default.htm

If for some reason it is not possible to communicate this information to the employee and the agency cannot access the employee's e-W-2 record, the agency may send an email to osc.payroll@ct.gov  and request a reissue (indicating the reissue request is due to a retired employee who can no longer access Core-CT and the agency is not able to view the employee's Core-CT e-W-2).


23) When I click on my e-W-2 in Core-CT, I'm receiving an "Error 404 �Not Found" error. I'm using Internet Explorer version 11 (IE 11) browser to sign-on to Core-CT. How do I fix this?

You will need to add https://*.ct.gov  to your trusted sites within IE 11. There is a Core-CT document that will guide you through this process:  https://www.core-ct.state.ct.us/support/pdf/trusted_sites.pdf


24) Employees are calling questioning why their W-2 earnings are lower this year compared to last year when their pay was not reduced. What is the reason for the lower W-2 earnings this year?

The reason for the lower W-2 earnings is most likely due to the increase Retiree Health Fund (OPEB, OPE2) and/or Benefit Deductions for the current calendar year. Agencies should review the employee's pre-tax deductions year-to-date and calculate the difference between the current calendar year and last year.


25) The full first name for an employee is not displaying on the W-2 (only the first letter of the first name is printing on the W-2). Is it possible to request a W-2 correction to include the full first name of the employee on the W-2?

Yes, the agency may request a name correction W-2C on behalf of the employee; however, the IRS will still process the W-2 as long as the social security number is correct. The first name truncation is a 'known issue' that is related to employees who have hyphenated last names. This issue will be corrected in a future release of our W-2 process.


26) Why is Box 9 highlighted on my W2?

This is an IRS defined specialty box that will not be populated for the 2019 W-2 and W-2C filing year.


27) Why did I receive more than one W-2 form for calendar year 2020?

"Included in Box 14, if applicable, are amounts paid to you as qualified sick leave wages or qualified family leave wages under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Specifically, up to three types of paid qualified sick leave wages or qualified family leave wages are reported in Box 14, each will be separately listed on an additional W-2 form but are included in totals on your ORIGINAL wage totals. DO NOT add these wages to your original totals.:
                          i. Sick leave wages subject to the $511 per day limit because of care you required;
                         ii. Sick leave wages subject to the $200 per day limit because of care you provided to another; and
                        iii. Emergency family leave wages.
If you have self-employment income in addition to wages we paid to you, and you intend to claim any qualified sick leave or qualified family qualified family leave wages on Form 7202, Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave for Certain Self-Employed Individuals, included with your income tax return and reduce any qualified sick leave or qualified family leave equivalent credits by the amount of these qualified leave wages."




Any additional questions from agencies may be sent to osc.payroll@ct.gov


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