For Employers, and Businesses Who Submit W-2 Forms
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September 15, 2005

Issue: 2005-01

Welcome to the second edition of W-2 News, the electronic newsletter for employers who submit W-2s to Social Security. Inside this issue:

• W-2 Test Software Now Available
• Verify Social Security Numbers Online
• W-2c Online
• Social Security to Eliminate Magnetic Tapes and Cartridge

W-2 Test Software Now Available
(AccuWage and AccuW2c)

Free software to test the accuracy of your 2005 Magnetic Media Reporting and Electronic Filing (MMREF) formatted reports is now available on Social Security’s website. The AccuWage software tests your MMREF-1 files by checking for over 200 different errors before you send the report to Social Security for processing.

AccuWage is easy to use. Just go to www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/software.htm and select AccuWage Information and Software. Download and install the AccuWage software on your personal computer. Then type in the directory where you saved the W2REPORT file. AccuWage will read the file and inform you of any detected errors. Note: If you downloaded AccuWage between August 1 and August 19, 2005, you will want to download and install the newer version now available and re-test your files.

AccuW2c 2005 will be available for download beginning October 3, 2005. AccuW2c allows you to check your MMREF-2, correction reports.

Verify Social Security Numbers Online

The Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS) allows employers to use the Internet to match their record of employee names and Social Security numbers with Social Security records before preparing and submitting Forms W-2. Making sure names and Social Security numbers on the W-2 match our records is important because unmatched records can result in additional processing costs for you and uncredited earnings for your employees. Uncredited earnings can affect future eligibility to (and amounts paid under) Social Security’s retirement, disability and survivors program.

You have two options for using SSNVS:

• Direct keying of up to 10 names/Social Security numbers at a time onto Social Security’s website with immediate results, and
• Upload a file with up to 250,000 names/Social Security numbers with next business day results.

Employers can verify the names and Social Security numbers of employees only after they are hired. It cannot be used as part of the pre-hiring process. If you are a tax preparer, accountant, payroll agent, payroll service or you process Forms W-2 on another company’s Employer Identification Number, you can verify names and Social Security numbers on behalf of your client(s), but only for wage reporting purposes. You only need one PIN (even if you represent more than one company).

For more information about SSNVS, including registration and step-by-step instructions visit www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/ssnv.htm.

W-2c Correction Forms Available Online

Social Security has expanded its online wage reporting services to include W-2c Online. W-2c Online allows you to create, print and submit up to five Forms W-2c (Corrected Wage and Tax Statement) over the Internet. It also prepares the W-3c (Transmittal Form) for you.

After the introduction of W-2 Online in 2002, many employers requested a similar method to enable them to report corrections electronically. We think that you will find W-2c Online to be just as user-friendly as our other electronic services. As with W-2 Online, support services are available for W-2c Online. Even if you file your wage reports using methods other than electronic filing, you may still use W-2c Online to make corrections to those wage reports.

For more information about W-2c Online, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/how.htm#ele
or call us at 1-800-772-6270.

Social Security to Eliminate Magnetic Tapes and Cartridges

Social Security has incorporated two changes into its Magnetic Media Reporting and Electronic Filing (MMREF) publication. Magnetic tapes and cartridges will be eliminated beginning with the tax year (TY) 2005 W-2 reports (due to Social Security in calendar year 2006). Also, diskettes will be eliminated beginning with the TY 2006 W-2 reports (due to Social Security in calendar year 2007).

Instead, wage reports must be filed electronically via Social Security’s Business Services Online (BSO). BSO is a suite of Internet services for companies conducting business with Social Security. The MMREF publication and additional information on wage report filing can be obtained by accessing Social Security’s employer reporting website at www.socialsecurity.gov/employer or by calling 1-800-772-6270.

Please don't hit the "reply" button. W-2 News is an "announce only" newsletter.

For more information on reporting employee wages to Social Security visit our website.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/employer

Employers may contact Social Security with wage reporting questions or problems.
Email - employerinfo@ssa.gov
Phone - 1-800-772-6270, Monday - Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time

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