Previews of employee Form W-2 are available in early November. Form W-3 is not included in your previews but is included with your final forms in early February 2027.
Previewing your employees’ Form W-2 allows you to review wages, taxes, and benefits received in the calendar year, as well as their personal details for accuracy.
You must use Wave in a web browser to complete the steps below.
Update incorrect employee information
Add a missing employee benefit or deduction
Review Form W-2
Form W-2 previews are not for filing. Final Form W-2 versions will be available between January 1 and 15, 2027.
The information you view in the Form W-2 preview reflects current year-to-date payroll information on the day you preview it. Information is refreshed weekly on Mondays. If you’ve approved a payroll with a payday in the future, the pay and benefits it includes will appear on previews generated after the payday has passed.
To preview your Form W-2s:
- On the left-side menu, click Payroll > Tax Forms.
- Next to Form W-2, under Actions, click Preview.
Verify that your employees' Form W-2 preview is correct
To ensure that your employees’ Form W-2 preview is correct, verify the following information:
- All employees paid in the calendar year are reported in the preview
- All employee wages are reported accurately
- All employee benefits are reported accurately
- All employees' Social Security Numbers are accurate
- All employee personal information, including address and name, is accurate
Update incorrect employee information
During the W-2 preview period, you can correct employee names, addresses, and SSNs directly in your Wave account. Here's how:
- On the left-side menu, click Payroll > Employees.
- Select the Employee.
- Click Personal information.
- Update the necessary information.
- Click Save.
Wave automatically refreshes W-2 preview forms every Monday. Any changes you make to employee information will appear after the next refresh.
Add a missing employee benefit or deduction
If you are missing a benefit and have yet to run your final 2026 payroll, you will be able to add it to payroll before the end of the year. To do this, go to the employee profile and click Benefits & Deductions.
If additional corrections are needed on an employee’s Form W-2, our Support Team can help. Open Mave, Wave’s automated chatbot, and request a Support Agent. The final day to request corrections to Form W-2 is November 22, 2026.