Video: Guide to the W-2 Tax Form - Wages and Tax Statement
While the W-2 form you receive from your employer each year is fairly straightforward, there are some things about the form you may not know. Watch this video to learn more about the key information on Form W-2.
The One Big Beautiful Bill that passed includes permanently extending tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including increasing the cap on the amount of state and local or sales tax and property tax (SALT) that you can deduct, makes cuts to energy credits passed under the Inflation Reduction Act, makes changes to taxes on tips and overtime for certain workers, reforms Medicaid, increases the Debt ceiling, and reforms Pell Grants and student loans. Updates to this article are in process. Check our One Big Beautiful Bill article for more information.
Video transcript:
Your W-2 isn’t just a form — it’s the key to understanding your taxes! This edition of Tax Tips by TurboTax breaks it down for you.
Your employer sends you a W-2 each year to report your earnings and the taxes withheld from your pay. They should send your W-2 by January 31, but if you’re an independent contractor you might receive a 1099 form instead.
Let’s dive into your W-2 form.
The key information for preparing your federal tax return is in boxes 1, 2, 17 and 19.
Box 1 reports your taxable wages, including salary, tips, and bonuses.
Box 2 reports the federal income taxes withheld from your paychecks throughout the year. This number often determines if you’ll receive a refund. If the total tax calculated on your tax return is less than the total amount reported in box 2 of your W-2, you should receive a refund from the IRS since you’ve already paid more tax than you owe.
Boxes 17 and 19 report the state and local income taxes that your employer withheld from your wages.
If you choose to itemize deductions instead of taking the Standard Deduction, you may deduct the amounts included in boxes 17 and 19. But the total deduction for all your state and local taxes can’t exceed $40,000 for the 2025 tax year, and that $40,000 limit is reduced if your income is above a certain amount.
So why not just itemize your deductions?
You can’t claim both itemized deductions and the Standard Deduction on the same tax return, but you generally can pick whichever one is higher and saves you the most money. For most people, the Standard Deduction saves more, so they don’t end up itemizing their state and local taxes.
However, even if you take the Standard Deduction, keep the information from boxes 17 and 19 handy. You’ll still need it for your state tax return.
And if you’re wondering about the new deductions for tips and overtime pay, the IRS is giving employers extra time to include that information on your W-2.
For the 2025 tax year, you’ll probably get those details separately, but you can expect to see them added to your W-2 starting in 2026.
Ready to get started with your taxes? TurboTax makes filing easy. You can even import your W-2 information online and TurboTax will automatically populate the right tax forms for you.
Visit turbotax.com for more info to help you file your taxes with confidence!

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