Charging for copies of old W-2s?

Squishypig · September 2003

I am just curious as to how other companies handle requests for old W2s or paycheck stubs that previous and current employees have misplaced. If it is a normal request and the employee is patient, I have no problem with sending them to them. But lately, it seems that the employees (or worse, their irate parents [young workforce]) want them yesterday for a mortgage or a car loan or to apply for unemployment. So what is your procedure for employees requesting old W2s?

Johnette
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Down_the_Middle · September 2003

We do not charge employees for this type of information, regardless of whether the info is an urgent request or at someone's leisure.

Squishypig · September 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-03-03 AT 11:04AM (CST)[/font][p]So what is your typical turnaround on fulfilling these requests? The employees get so mad when I say 48 hours which I think is very reasonable.

Johnette
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Eliant · September 2003

We do not charge employees' for this request. I do explain upfront that I will try my best. However, i only work on these request once per week. So Iset the expetatio up front. (I have received calls from spouses etc, asking why so long, I have stated "If you would like it sooner, look deper in your files")

Eliant

ritaanz · September 2003

We do not charge our employees, present or past, for copies of W-2s or employment letters or letters to verify salary history. It's part of the job of Human Resources. I do not think these request are made just to keep me busy. This info is important and many times, the employee was not told they needed this until the last minute.

Betty I_O · September 2003

We also do not charge for W-2's; typical request is fulfilled within five working days (sooner if it is more recent, say the past three years or so).

Pixie · September 2003

We do not charge for copies. The turn around is one week. I do not honor requests from any one other than the employee or x-employee. If the employee is currently employed by us, we take a verbal request. If it's an x-employee, the request must be in writing. The written request protects the employees identity, after all, w2's list the employees social security number. If the person making the request gets upset or irate, I hang up on them. I don't get paid to take verbal abuse. My personal experience has been that when pay stubs and w2's are needed for personal reasons, it's not a last minute request, generally the individual making the request waits until the last minute to ask.

Nrdgrrl · September 2003

We used to get about 220 requests for duplicate w2s a year until we put the info online with our payroll provider. I have to agree with you, I don't know how many times they were sitting in the Mortgage office and needed it faxed to them now!

In days past, it really did take our system about a week to get the data and be printed by dp. I had one guy who had to have it now because he was permanently leaving the country the next day and had no forwarding address once he got there...etc. Umm, ok. Still takes a week. He said he would stay in town until he got it.

One thing we do charge for is subpoena materials. If a lawyer wants copies of everything in an ex-ee's file, he has to pay a per page fee.

Nrdgrrl

TALLEY · September 2003

We mail W-2s once. If an ex-ee requests a copy, I'll make the copy for free but require them to pick it up (and then I don't make the copy until they are waiting in my office) or must send a stamped, self-addressed envelope. I can count on 1 hand how many times I've received the envelope or the individual comes to my office.

Current employees I take care of as soon as I can. If someone is a chronic loser, i.e., loses important paperwork often, I'll put them on a once a week, once a payperiod, or even once a month or quarter basis - I give them lots of warning. Many of our employees need payroll verification for government "entitlements". I get really annoyed with hearing, "I'll lose my day care, food stamps, rent assistance, [etc.], if I don't get a payroll print out in the next (fill in the blank). So now the chronic "losers" know to hang on to their check stubs. If receiving assistance is important to you, keeping track of your paperwork better be a priority also.

Now, I'll step down from my soapbox.

windjam · September 2003

First, I would caution you from providing any of that confidential information to anyone other than the employee or in compliance to a subpoena. You don't know if the so-called spouse or parent is really who they claim or if they are entitled to the information. It has been known to happen where a divorce attorney working for the non-employee side attempts to get unauthorized info. As far as charging, my policy is the first replacement is free; lose that one and you will pay $1.00 for additional. The turn-around time is usually a maximum of 5 work days mailed or 2 work days if you come in. I agree that the "I have to have it today" is usually meaning "I forgot for the last month and I need it today". Sorry - I'm working on last week's requests!

Don D · September 2003

>First, I would caution you from providing any of that confidential
>information to anyone other than the employee or in compliance to a
>subpoena. You don't know if the so-called spouse or parent is really
>who they claim or if they are entitled to the information.

There is rarely, if ever, an occasion when a parent or spouse or anybody else would be furnished with a copy of someone's W-2 or any other record for that matter (unless subpoenaed). The only occasion that comes to mind would be in the case of death of the employee or ex-employee and only then if the reason for production has a very sound basis and we're dealing with the executor/executrix. But, we've been known to roll over and comply with requests at the last minute from people who are not well organized or lazy. if I were going to charge, it would sure be more than a dollar.

Squishypig · September 2003

Oh, I absolutely agree. I generally tell the parents that their children have to make the request and I try to deal with the children as much as possible. But since my workforce is young (average age is 19), parents call quite often and I take the brunt of their anger for something their child has failed to do (file taxes, keep paycheck stubs, change address, anything). It just gets a little frustrating, especially since people don't seem to realize that I have so much work to do that a little request like this will set me back significantly.

Johnette
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Pork · September 2003

SQUISHYPIG: HAVING READ EACH OF THE POSTINGS to this topic, I am amazed at the number of you that finds this request to be a very time consuming activity and to think about charging "someone in need" for whatever their reason is a slap in the face of professionalism of HRs every where. This person (x-employee or current employee) now has a need for whatever reason, they walk in TO see OR ask for me or my assistant to obtain a copy of their W-2. given it is someone I recognize ( if not I ask for identification) they tell me of their need and year or years required to satisfy their need; I, immediately, verify the employee name and company payroll number, go to the file pick out the appropriate year/s, go to the copier and make one or more copies. Our company set of W-2s is printed in ee payroll number. All together, it takes about 15 minutes to be helpful and receive a thanks for a job/task well done on behalf of the company AND THE PERSON.

I do agree with all that only the ee or x ee is given this information! I have mailed and I have given these documents out to the concerned individual.

As HRS, we need to get the "I", "me", "us" words out of our spoken English, except when we are "thanking" someone for allowing the HR function to be an important link in the organizational corporate body. Our purpose is to serve and be involved with the social nature of the organization. It is when the HR is "to busy, no time to get my work done, I make them wait, and $1.00 is not enough for my services, or I only deal with this activity one day a week", that the company starts to lean toward getting UNIONIZED, so that you are required to take care of the needs of the UNION and not the EE or x-EE.

SERVE THE PEOPLE AND YOUR STRESS WILL BE MORE BLESSED AND ALOTS EASIER, BECAUSE YOU SERVE, YOUR POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION IS VALUED BY THE EE AND MANAGERS AND LEADERS AND COULD BE SEEN AS A CRITICAL PART OF THE COMPANY!

THERE IS A MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN STARKVILLE, MS CALLED "SOUTHWIRE", ITS GENERAL MANAGER IS THE X-HR OF THE COMPANY. SHE GOT TO THAT POSITION BECAUSE SHE CARED ABOUT EACH AND EVERY EMPLOYEE AND TOOK CARE OF THEIR NEEDS AND THE NEEDS OF THE COMPANY FOR A STRONG WORK FORCE.

W-2'S ARE a very small part of your area of concern, but it might just be the area of concern that allows you and your HR department to be recognize as the best HR in the country & might just be the step you need to be recognized as a senior leader of the company and the next "whatever, in charge"!

PORK

Squishypig · September 2003

Pork,

Believe it or not I agree with your position. HR should be there to help the employees. I bend over backwards for my employees all the time, and lord knows that is why I am so far behind on my work. And also because I bend over backwards all the time, I feel that employees take for granted the help I give them. I have no problem helping someone who is genuinely grateful but to tell you the truth, lately, those have been getting less and less frequent.

I wish it only took 15 minutes of my time to get an old W2 but unfortunately it takes longer and involves two other people besides myself. I think originally when I posted the message, I was dealing with a particularly lengthy request. An employee called asking for some W2s and wanted to pick them up THEN, I told him time to come to the office (I think it was 2 hours later) and he showed up an hour early, was extremely impatient when I was pulling the information (I gave up MY lunch break to do this), came back two more times for other requests and then after all of that, his mom called and basically yelled that we were giving the wrong information to her son. Turns out he was requesting the wrong information. So for all of my help, the interruptions, the time I took out of what ended up being a 13 hour day, I didn't even get a thank you. I probably posted in a fit of frustration.

I love my employees. I truly believe that we have the best people in the city working for our company and it is my privledge to work for them (please notice that I do believe I work FOR the employees). My company is one of the best places to work and let me tell you, I thank heavens everyday that I have a job where the CEO and COO support every decision I make. I love that I have a job that I know almost every name of the 300 people who work in our restaurants and I make it a point to visit with each and every person when I visit the restaurants. I love the fact that our employees think of me as Johnette and not the "HR person". I have taken my HR department to a new service level in the 1.5 years I have been here and I plan on taking it to another level in the next 6 months.

That being said, my time IS valuable and these requests DO put me out at times because I am very often working on projects that I cannot readily drop at any given moment. I guess my only consolation at this point is that obviously the employees do not realize how much I actually do since I make it look so easy. :DD

Johnette
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Pork · September 2003

Johnette: It reads as if you are over worked and should at least have a part time assistant or maybe a full time assistant. You should prepare a complete task list and conduct a time study against all these task nad come up with a reorganization plan to have your indiviaul unit grow so that you can be more able to handle employee issues, "the number one issue" in our HR world, for without the employees (the people) the company does not need us. Machines and NAFTA have eliminated many of our number!

Good luck, I look forward to returning to LA for some "in the weeds" cooking, serve more PORK, and your day will be more blessed!

PORK

Charging for copies of old W-2s?

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