OMB No. 1545-0008 is the Office of Management and Budget control number assigned to Form W-2, Form W-3, and the related wage-reporting forms employers use to report earnings and tax withholding. If you’ve noticed the number printed in the upper-right corner of a W-2, that’s what it signals: OMB reviewed and approved the form under the Paperwork Reduction Act, and the number has to appear on the form for the IRS to require anyone to fill it out.
What the Number Actually Means
The Paperwork Reduction Act, first enacted in 1980 and overhauled in 1995, requires every federal agency to get OMB approval before collecting information from the public. The goal is to minimize paperwork burden while making sure the data the government asks for is genuinely useful.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 44 USC 3501 – Purposes Before the IRS can put a form like the W-2 into circulation, OMB has to agree that the form is necessary, that the data can’t be gathered a less burdensome way, and that the time estimate for completing it is reasonable.
Each control number follows a standard format. The first four digits identify the agency: 1545 is the IRS, under the Department of the Treasury. The last four digits identify the specific collection.2Digital.gov. A Guide to the Paperwork Reduction Act OMB approval has to be renewed periodically. The most recent extension for 1545-0008 was approved in October 2023 with no changes to the collection.3Reginfo.gov. OMB Control Number History
Which Forms This Covers
One point worth clearing up: 1545-0008 does not cover Form 1040, the individual income tax return. The 1040 and its schedules carry a different control number, 1545-0074.4Federal Register. Submission to OMB for Approval and Request for Comment for Form 1040 and Schedules 1545-0008 covers only the forms employers use to report wages to the Social Security Administration and to their employees.5Federal Register. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review
- Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement — the form most employees receive each January.
- Form W-2c, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement, for fixing errors on a previously filed W-2.
- Forms W-2AS, W-2GU, and W-2VI, the territory-specific versions for American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, the summary employers send to the SSA with their W-2s.
- Forms W-3c and W-3SS, the corrected and territory-specific transmittal forms.
All of these display the same OMB number because they fall under a single approved information collection. If you’re looking at another IRS form with a different four-digit suffix after “1545-,” that form belongs to its own collection with its own OMB approval.
The Legal Protection the Number Carries
The most practical consequence of the OMB number is the shield it creates when it’s missing. Under 44 U.S.C. § 3512, no one can be penalized for refusing to respond to a federal information request that lacks a valid OMB control number.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 44 US Code 3512 – Public Protection The same protection applies if the agency fails to tell you that you aren’t required to respond unless the form shows a valid number. You can raise this defense at any point in an administrative proceeding or court case.
In practice, this almost never comes up with mainstream forms like the W-2, because the IRS keeps its approvals current. But it matters on the margins. If a federal agency ever sends you an information request and the form carries no OMB control number, you have a statutory right to ignore it without penalty. The IRS itself acknowledges this rule on its own compliance pages.7Internal Revenue Service. OMB Control Number 1545-2208
What This Means for Employers
Because every form in this collection is a wage-reporting document, the real filing burden falls on employers. Employers must furnish W-2 copies to employees and file copies with the Social Security Administration by January 31 following the end of the tax year. When January 31 falls on a weekend, the deadline shifts to the next business day. For tax year 2026, that puts the deadline at February 1, 2027.8Internal Revenue Service. 2026 General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3
Any employer who files 10 or more information returns of any type during a calendar year has to submit them electronically. The threshold counts all information returns together, not just one form type.9Internal Revenue Service. General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026) An employer filing seven W-2s and four 1099-NECs crosses the 10-return line and has to e-file all of them. Paper filing when electronic filing is required can trigger separate penalties.
Penalties for Late or Incorrect W-2s
Employers who file W-2s late or with wrong information face penalties under IRC § 6721 for returns filed with the SSA and IRC § 6722 for copies given to employees. For returns due in 2026, the amounts depend on how fast the correction happens and the size of the business. A small business, for this purpose, is one with $5 million or less in gross receipts.10Internal Revenue Service. 20.1.7 Information Return Penalties
- Corrected within 30 days: $60 per form, capped at $683,000 for large businesses or $239,000 for small businesses.
- Corrected after 30 days but by August 1: $130 per form, capped at $2,049,000 for large businesses or $683,000 for small businesses.
- Filed after August 1 or not corrected at all: $340 per form, capped at $4,098,500 for large businesses or $1,366,000 for small businesses.
- Intentional disregard: $680 per form with no annual cap.
The tiered schedule rewards fixing mistakes fast. An employer who catches an error in February and files a corrected W-2c within 30 days pays roughly a sixth of what the same error costs by fall. The uncapped intentional disregard tier is reserved for employers who deliberately file false wage information.
Fixing Errors With Form W-2c
When a W-2 contains wrong information, whether a mistyped Social Security number, incorrect wages, or wrong withholding, the employer corrects it by filing Form W-2c. The W-2c goes to the SSA, and a copy goes to the affected employee.11Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-2 C, Corrected Wage and Tax Statements Form W-3c transmits corrections in bulk.
There’s no hard deadline for a W-2c, and employers can file corrections for any prior tax year. If you’re an employee who spots an error on your W-2, ask your employer for a corrected version. If the employer won’t cooperate, you can contact the IRS, which may reach out on your behalf.
What This Means for Employees
W-2 forms carry some of the most sensitive personal data the government handles: Social Security numbers, home addresses, and detailed earnings. The Privacy Act of 1974 requires federal agencies to protect records about individuals and prohibits disclosing them without written consent unless a specific statutory exception applies.12U.S. Department of Justice. Privacy Act of 1974 The IRS also has to tell you, at the point of collection, what legal authority it has to ask for the information, why it needs it, and how it will be used.13Internal Revenue Service. IRS Privacy Policy
The bigger day-to-day risk for most employees isn’t the IRS, though. It’s W-2 theft. Criminals target employers to steal W-2 data in bulk and use it to file fraudulent returns. If your employer notifies you of a data breach, consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file and requesting an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS, which adds a six-digit code that must appear on any return filed with your Social Security number.
How Long to Keep Your W-2s
The IRS recommends keeping tax records, including W-2s, for at least three years from the date you filed the return they support. Returns filed before the due date count as filed on the due date.14Internal Revenue Service. How Long Should I Keep Records? Three years matches the standard period during which the IRS can assess additional tax.
The window stretches to six years if you fail to report more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return.15Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 305, Recordkeeping If the IRS shows that a return was fraudulent or that no return was filed, there’s no time limit on assessment at all. In those situations, an old W-2 may be your only proof of what you actually earned and what was withheld. Employers face their own retention rules and should keep copies of W-2s and W-3s for at least four years after the tax due date or payment date, whichever is later.