Here’s what you can do if you still need tax documents as the April 15th deadline to file approaches.
SAN ANTONIO — It’s two just days before the Federal Tax deadline and you still can’t find that W-2 or 1099 you need to actually finish you taxes. Don’t worry, you still have options.
KENS 5 contacted the IRS about this exact issue after multiple viewers called KENS and explained they were having trouble getting their tax documents. Here’s what you can do if you still need your documents:
Option 1: Request a Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS
Maybe your employer sent your tax documents to the wrong address, maybe they just didn’t show up, or maybe you lost them (No judgement, it happens).
The good news is that your employer is supposed to send that information to the IRS as well and you can get a copy of it online.
“Employers also have a deadline to give those W-2s to the IRS,” IRS spokeswoman Yviand Serbones Hernandez told KENS 5. “Businesses are required to give your tax information to the IRS. So, if your employer did that, you can just ask the IRS for that information.
Go to this page on the IRS website and use the “individual online account” link to sign in. Hernandez said you can create an IRS account to get it immediately
You want to request a “Wage and Income Transcript” which should include the same information that was on forms W-2, 1098, 1099, and 5498. Information for the current processing year should have been sent to the IRS by the first week in February.
Option 2: Use IRS Form 4852 and your paystubs
If your employer did not provide information to the IRS then your next option is to use Form 4852, which can serve as a substitute for a missing Form W-2 or certain other tax documents. You will need to estimate wages or payments received, along with taxes withheld, and file Form 4852 with your 1040.
One KENS 5 viewer was able to successfully fill this out with the information in her very last paystub for last year so you will not need all of them.
The IRS website also states, if you do somehow get the official W-2 later, you will need to then file an amended return using Form 1040-X. Of course, if you don’t have your tax documents by April 13th then that probably isn’t going to happen. It is what the agency suggests however.
Option 3: Request an extension and pay an estimated tax payment
Filing an extension is not terribly difficult, aside from the fact that 1) the IRS does want you to estimate how much you owe in taxes and pay that with your extension and 2) You must request the extension by April 15.
“Even though you can have an extension to file, it is not an extension to pay,” Hernandez said.
Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to find out if you owe taxes from last year. You can mail that in with Form 4868 or use one of the electronic options listed further below.
The IRS says taxpayers who owe should estimate and pay any taxes due by April 15 to avoid penalties and interest. Additionally, the IRS told KENS 5 a person would be returned any overpayment if they overestimated their taxes.
If you read this you might be wondering, “How bad is the penalty exactly and should I risk overpaying if I don’t want to wait for the money to come back?” In that case, here is the exact language regarding IRS penalties which is taken directly from Form 4868:89
Late Payment Penalty
The late payment penalty is usually ½ of 1% of any tax (other than estimated tax) not paid by the due date of your return, which is April 15, 2026, for most people. It’s charged for each month or part of a month the tax is unpaid. The maximum penalty is 25%.
The late payment penalty won’t be charged if you can show reasonable cause for not paying on time. Attach a statement to your return fully explaining the reason. Don’t attach the statement to Form 4868.
You’re considered to have reasonable cause for the period covered by this automatic extension if both of the following requirements have been met.
1. At least 90% of the total tax on your 2025 return is paid on or before the due date of your return through withholding, estimated tax payments, or payments made with Form 4868.
2. The remaining balance is paid with your return.
You can file for an extension by
- Mailing paper Form 4868, along with your estimated payment, by the April 15th deadline.
- Filing Form 4868 electronically through IRS Free File.
- Make an electronic payment to the IRS for your estimated taxes due and check a box available during that process to indicate you filing for an extension. You do not need to file form 4868 in that case.
Finally, according to the IRS website, taxpayers who cannot pay the full amount owed by the deadline should still pay what they can and then apply online to create a payment plan.
If you have a problem like this, we want to help you fix it! In our series, Call KENS, we do our best to solve problems for our viewers. The number to call is 210-470-KENS, or fill out the form on this page.