Current and former Target team members can get the Target W-2 form online through Workday (for active employees) or through the Paperless Employee portal at paperlessemployee.com/target (for anyone who has left). Target has to deliver W-2s by January 31, but because that date falls on a Saturday for the 2025 tax year, the deadline shifts to Monday, February 2, 2026.1Internal Revenue Service. Employment Tax Due Dates
If You Still Work at Target
Log in to Workday, Target’s internal HR platform. Go to Menu, then Tax Forms (W-4, W-2), and select Year-End Tax Statements on the Paperless Employee site that opens. You can download a PDF from there.2Target. Team Member Services
If you opted in to electronic delivery earlier in the year, your W-2 shows up online before any paper copy would reach your mailbox. The digital version is legally identical to the printed form and works with every major tax preparation program. If you never opted in, a paper W-2 goes to the mailing address Target has on file.
Before late January, open Workday and confirm your home address is current. A stale address won’t hold up the electronic copy, but it will send the paper one to the wrong place.
If You’ve Left Target
You lose Workday access the day you stop working at Target, but your W-2 is still available through the Paperless Employee portal at paperlessemployee.com/target. To set up an account you’ll need three things: your 10-digit team member number, your date of birth, and your Social Security number.2Target. Team Member Services
Lost the team member number? Call Target’s HR Operations Center at 1-800-394-1885. A representative can verify your identity, walk you through the portal, or arrange to mail a paper W-2 to your current address. Target won’t email the form, because it contains your Social Security number.
If you moved after leaving and never updated your address, give the HR Operations Center your new one before asking for a mailed copy. Pulling the PDF from the portal yourself is usually faster.
If Your W-2 Is Late or Missing
If early February passes with nothing in hand, check the Paperless Employee portal first. The electronic copy is often posted before paper arrives. If it isn’t there, call the HR Operations Center and ask them to confirm the delivery method and address they used.
If the end of February comes and Target still hasn’t delivered your W-2, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS will contact Target and may send you Form 4852, a substitute W-2 you complete using your final pay stub of the year to estimate wages and withholding.3Internal Revenue Service. Additional, Incorrect, Lost, Non-Receipt, Omitted Filing with Form 4852 can slow your refund while the IRS checks the numbers against what Target eventually reports.4Internal Revenue Service. About Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement
You can also pull a Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS, which shows the W-2 data your employer reported. Request it through your IRS online account or by mailing Form 4506-T. Current-year data may not be complete until later in the filing season, and the transcript won’t include state or local tax information, so you may still need to estimate those figures for a state return.5Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 159, How to Get a Wage and Income Transcript
The 2025 federal return is due April 15, 2026.6Internal Revenue Service. IRS Announces First Day of 2026 Filing Season If a corrected form hasn’t arrived and that date is close, file with the best information you have and amend later. Filing late when you owe triggers penalties; filing with a reasonable estimate does not.
Reading the Boxes That Actually Matter
Your W-2 has dozens of numbered boxes. A handful carry most of the weight.
Box 1 is your total taxable wages for federal purposes. It’s usually lower than your gross pay because pre-tax deductions like 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums come out first. Box 2 is the federal income tax already withheld from your paychecks. Compare it to what you actually owe on your return: lower means a balance due, higher means a refund.
Box 3 reports wages subject to Social Security tax, and Box 5 reports wages subject to Medicare tax. Social Security wages are capped at $176,100 for 2025; Medicare has no cap.7Social Security Administration. Contribution and Benefit Base
Boxes 15 through 20 handle state and local tax. Box 16 is state taxable wages, Box 17 is state tax withheld, and Boxes 18 and 19 cover local tax. If you worked in more than one state during the year, you may see multiple lines.
Box 12 uses letter codes. The two that show up most often on Target W-2s are Code D for your 401(k) contributions (which is why they don’t appear in Box 1) and Code DD for the total cost of employer-sponsored health coverage. Code DD looks big, but it’s informational only and isn’t taxable.8Internal Revenue Service. Reporting Employer-Provided Health Coverage on Form W-2 If you contributed to a Health Savings Account, look for Code W, which combines your contributions and Target’s; that total goes on Form 8889 with your federal return. The full list of Box 12 codes is printed on the back of the paper W-2.
If Something on the Form Is Wrong
Compare your W-2 against your final pay stub of the year. If a figure doesn’t match, or your name or Social Security number has a typo, contact Target’s HR Operations Center or payroll right away. Be specific about which box is wrong and what you believe it should be.
Once Target confirms the error, they’ll issue a corrected form called a W-2c and file it with the Social Security Administration.9Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-2 C, Corrected Wage and Tax Statements The W-2c typically takes a few weeks to issue after the correction is verified.
If you haven’t filed yet, wait for the W-2c and use the corrected numbers. If you already filed using the wrong form, submit an amended return on Form 1040-X. Most tax software now files 1040-X electronically, which is faster than mailing paper.10Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
A name or Social Security number mismatch between Target’s records and the Social Security Administration can affect your future benefits. Target should file a W-2c, and you may also need to visit a local SSA office to correct the discrepancy on your end.11Social Security Administration. What to Do if an SSN Fails to Verify
Other Tax Forms Target Might Send
If you were a full-time team member for any month of the year, Target will also send Form 1095-C, documenting the health coverage offered under the Affordable Care Act.12Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage You don’t attach it to your return; keep it with your records.13Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers About Health Care Information Forms for Individuals
If you took money out of the Target 401(k) during the year, the plan administrator (not Target payroll) sends a Form 1099-R reporting the distribution. If you participated in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan and acquired shares during the year, you’ll receive Form 3922, which you’ll need later to calculate your cost basis when you sell.14Internal Revenue Service. About Form 3922, Transfer of Stock Acquired Through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan Under Section 423(c) Hold onto it even if you don’t sell right away.
Form 1099-NEC is for independent contractors, not W-2 team members. If you worked at Target as a regular hourly or salaried employee, your income is reported entirely on your W-2.15Internal Revenue Service. Reporting Payments to Independent Contractors