• File W-2 forms electronically by following a few guidelines.computer image by Orlando Florin Rosu from Fotolia.com
  
  The W-2 form is the only document used to transmit social security and Medicare wages for the entire year for employees. Employers use the W-2 form each year for employees and send this pertinent information to not only the employee, but the Social Security Administration. To effectively file this information in a timely manner, employers can file W-2 forms electronically.
  
  

Requirements

• All employers and businesses are required to file a W-2 form for employees. The form will list the wages paid yearly to each employee who had income, social security or Medicare taxes removed from their pay. A W-2 form must also be filed for employees who would have had income tax taken out, but either claimed only one withholding allowance or did not claim an exemption on their W-4 Form (the Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate).
  
  

Time Frame

• Employers must send Copy A of the W-2 form to the Social Security Administration by the last day of March when filing electronically to report the wages and taxes of all your employees for the previous year. Also, all employers must give individual W-2 forms to each employee by January 31st for their individual taxes. These individual W-2 forms are also sent to the Social Security Administration, along with a W-3 form. The W-3 form is a Transmittal of Income and Tax Statement.
  
  

Ways to File Online

• Employers can upload a wage report to the Social Security Administration by using their own tax and W-2 software. The software, however, must comply with the Administration's specifications for filing W-2 forms electronically. Use the Social Security Administration's AccuWage software prior to submitting forms. AccuWage checks W-2 forms created with third-party software for common format errors and drastically reduces the chance of submission rejections.
  
  Employers can also complete a maximum of 20 W-2 Forms online. These forms are electronically submitted to the Social Security Administration, and don't require additional software.