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Printing Tax Forms

Each filing period, you must print your payroll tax forms so that you can file them with the appropriate agencies and create copies for your archives. The following tips can help you resolve several common printing questions, such as ensuring the correct year prints on your forms, printing specific W-2 copies, choosing blank paper or preprinted forms, and fixing alignment problems.

If you don't find the answer to your question below, search the QuickBooks Knowledge Base at www.quickbooks.com/support.

General Tips

Ensure your forms print with the correct year. The year that prints at the top of your form denotes the year of the form you have in QuickBooks. For example, if your form says "2004," you have the 2004 version of that form in your copy of QuickBooks. This is what you will need to prepare your annual forms this year. If your form still says "2003," you haven't downloaded the latest form yet. Find out how to download and install the latest payroll updates.

Check your printer driver if the form won't print or doesn't print correctly. In some cases, there might be an issue with the driver for your printer. Check the Web site for your printer manufacturer to see if an updated version of your driver is available.

Forms W-2 and W-3

The government will accept W-2s printed from QuickBooks on blank paper, even though they aren't printed in red ink. You might be accustomed to the preprinted W-2s the government issues, which are laid out in red ink. When you use QuickBooks 2005, 2004, or 2003 to print W-2s on blank paper, your printer lays them out in black ink. Sometimes QuickBooks Payroll customers ask whether the government will accept these forms. The answer is Yes. Intuit has an agreement with the Social Security Administration to accept the forms printed from QuickBooks.

Printing only Copy A of a W-2. Sometimes you need to print only Copy A of a W-2, which is the copy you as the employer file with the Social Security Administration.

QuickBooks 2005 or 2004:
On the Process W-2s window, select the employee whose Copy A you want to print. Click Print W-2s. Select Blank paper and then select only the W-2 Copy A for filing with the Social Security Administration option. Leave the other checkboxes unchecked. Click OK.

QuickBooks 2003 or 2002:
These versions of QuickBooks cannot print specific copies of a W-2. If you need to print Copy A of an employee's W-2, you must print the entire W-2.

Printing only employee and employer copies of a W-2. Sometimes you want to print only the copies of the W-2 you give to the employee and that you keep in your records.

QuickBooks 2005 or 2004:
On the Process W-2s window, select the employee whose W-2 you want to print. Click Print W-2s. Select Blank paper and then select only the W-2 Employee & Employer copies (copies B,C,D,1,2) option. Leave the other checkboxes unchecked. Click OK.

QuickBooks 2003 or 2002:
These versions of QuickBooks cannot print specific copies of a W-2. If you need to print the employee or employer copies of a W-2, you must print the entire W-2.

Printing your W-3 from QuickBooks 2003. QuickBooks 2003 initially had a bug that prevented the W-3 from printing in some cases where no state taxes were present. The bug was fixed in Release 8. If you encounter this problem when you try to print your W-3, download the latest QuickBooks software updates to get the fix. For more information on getting software updates for QuickBooks 2003, see the QuickBooks 2003 Product Updates page on quickbooks.com at www.quickbooks.com/support/index/ndxw_12_updates.html.

Choosing whether to print your W-2s and W-3 on blank paper or on preprinted forms. We recommend printing your W-2s and W-3 on blank paper (available in QuickBooks 2005, 2004, and 2003). It's easier because you don't have to worry about aligning the printed data so that it prints correctly on a preprinted form.

Tip: For a professional look and to easily separate your W2s, you can print on perforated blank paper. These are available for purchase online at the IntuitMarket Web site.

If you choose to print W-2s on preprinted forms, or if you have QuickBooks 2002, which does not have the option to print on blank paper:
  • Do not use the preprinted forms the government sends you if they have your company information printed on them. QuickBooks will print over that information, making this information illegible. Instead, use preprinted forms that do not already have your company information on them.
  • Use preprinted W-2 forms that have two forms per sheet. Do not use the sheets that have three forms per sheet. QuickBooks cannot print to that layout.
  • Make sure you have the latest payroll update. The W-2 layout changed significantly in 2004. If you don't install the updated version, QuickBooks will not print your data in the correct location on your forms.
  • Test the alignment of your W-2s before printing.
    1. From the File menu, choose Printer Setup.
    2. In the Printer Setup window, select W-2 Pre-printed form (or W-3 Pre-printed form) in the Form Name drop-down list, and click Align.
    3. Click Print Sample.
    4. Check the alignment on your sample, and, if necessary, adjust the alignment by entering the appropriate adjustments in the Vertical and Horizontal fields.
Forms 1099 and 1096

Testing and adjusting printing alignment on Forms 1099 and 1096. You can test and adjust 1099 and 1096 printing alignment in QuickBooks. From the Vendors menu, choose Print 1099s/1096 (in QuickBooks 2003 and 2002, this option is Print 1099s).
  • To test 1099 alignment: On the Select 1099s to Print window, choose Print 1099, then click Align on the Print 1099 window. Make the necessary adjustments on the Fine Alignment window so that the form prints correctly.
  • To test 1096 alignment (QuickBooks 2005 and 2004 only): On the Select 1099s to Print window, choose Print 1096. Click OK on the 1096 Information window, then click Align on the Print 1096 window. Make the necessary adjustments on the Fine Alignment window so that the form prints correctly.
Troubleshooting names or amounts for independent contractors. If an independent contractor does not appear in the Select 1099s to Print window, or if an amount is incorrect, you probably did not set up QuickBooks correctly to process 1099s. Refer to Filing Year-End Forms: Preparing Your 1099-MISCs and 1096 for troubleshooting information.



The information contained in the QuickBooks Payroll Bulletin is meant to provide general information about the payroll process and is not intended to provide tax or legal advice. Always consult your tax professional when preparing tax documents.
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