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Employee has applied for a social security number but ha not received it.

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
December 28, 2023
3 replies
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So, I'm going to start another thread about this subject to see what the bot has to say today. I have a client who hires workers on H2A visas. They just arrived at the first of November. They have all been to the SSA office to apply for social security numbers. Experience says they will not get their SSNs before we have to file Forms W2 at the end of January. Some employees filed in November of 2022 and still don't have them. Furthermore, QuickBooks will not allow me to setup an employee without SSN, birthdate, and address, so I can't even write them a payroll check from QBDT Payroll. I have seen on other threads where QUICKBOOKS EMPLOYEES have suggested that we enter a FAKE social security number in order to write payroll. "Just be sure to change it later." So, okay, now I can write a paycheck. What do I do about W2s? Would QUICKBOOKS suggest that I file a Form W2 with a fake social security number, just to get the job done? QuickBooks will not allow me to enter all zeroes, as we have been able to do since the beginning of time, to print "Applied For" on the Form W2. Incidentally, someone forgot to tell the engineers who generate this error message when you try to print Forms W2, because even the QuickBooks system still tells you, "If an employee is missing an SSN, QuickBooks will complete the form according to the agency's requirements." Newsflash: It won't! Other QB employees have said to send requests to the engineers through the Help > Send Feedback Online feature. I have been sending requests since September without any reply. But, hey, I recommend everyone on here send them requests daily. Type up and save a message in Word document and just copy and paste. It takes just a few minutes. Anybody ever used Zoho for payroll? It won't help get my 2023 W2s filed, but January 1 would be a great time to make a change. What say ye, Intuit? Can you hear the giant sucking sound created by all of those payroll customers moving to another software? This is a gross overreach by Intuit, requiring data that not even IRS requires for W2s, so that Intuit can sell our clients employee benefit packages. Even the error message says it: "Having complete employee profile in QuickBooks allows you to offer employee benefits and issue W2s easily." I'm an accountant running payroll for a client, I don't want to offer anyone employee benefits. It's not an IRS requirement, it's your marketing strategy, and it's causing major migraines for your loyal customers (25+ years, here). FIX THIS NOW!!!

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll

Best answer by BigRedConsulting

I think that if you set the employee SSN's to all zeros then you will be able to e-file, as well as print employee W-2's that say "Applied for" in the SSN box, per regulations.

I wrote this free little utility to do just that:

https://bigredconsulting.com/products/employee-fixer/

JoesemM

Hello there, JamesBCPA.

Thank you for sharing your concern about your employee's SSN and sending your feedback on this matter. I completely understand how important it is to ensure that everything is in order when it comes to your employees' records.

I appreciate your patience as QuickBooks now requires a valid SSN to be entered for W-2s in the latest updates. I understand that this may cause some inconvenience, especially in cases where the SSN is not readily available.

In your employee's situation, I suggest contacting the IRS for proper guidance on how to add them to the W2s while waiting for the social security number. Then, you can generate payroll reports for your employees' transactions and determine the necessary data to input in their W-2. For the list of payroll reports and how to access it in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, see this article: Run payroll reports.

I'm also attaching this article that you can utilize to ensure a smooth and accurate process for preparing your tax forms at the end of the year: Year-end checklist for QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns with your employee's social security number. I'm always here to help. Stay safe.

BigRedConsulting

@JoesemM You didn't really read the OP's post, did you?

RE: I appreciate your patience as QuickBooks now requires a valid SSN to be entered for W-2s in the latest updates. I understand that this may cause some inconvenience, especially in cases where the SSN is not readily available.

Yes, that is the issue! Actually, "not available" is only one of the reasons to enter all zeros. The other is that the SSN does not actually exist - which is the important case we have been asking about since last summer - and have been routinely stonewalled by Intuit, giving non-advice like:

RE: In your employee's situation, I suggest contacting the IRS for proper guidance on how to add them to the W2s while waiting for the social security number.

There is no need to do that. The information is published and is described in some detail by the SSA and IRS in multiple places, including:

https://www.ssa.gov/employer/critical.htm

Where it says:

"Forms W-2 Submitted to Social Security on Paper - If you still do not have an employee's SSN when your Form W-2 report is due, complete the SSN field by entering Applied For in Box d on the paper Form W-2."

And:

"Specifications for Filing Forms W-2 and W-2c Electronically (EFW2/EFW2C) - If you still do not have an SSN when your Form W-2 report is due, complete the SSN field by entering all zeros in locations 3 through 11 of the Code RW, Employee Wage Record. The paper Forms W-2 you give to employees also may have all zeros in block d, Employee SSN."

RE: Then, you can generate payroll reports for your employees' transactions and determine the necessary data to input in their W-2

The necessary data is... wait for it... to enter an SSN of all zeros when e-filing and to print "Applied For" in the SSN field on the printed W-2, as directed by the SSA. Which is commonly known. Which is what QuickBooks has always correctly done, for decades. Until now.

RE: For the list of payroll reports and how to access it in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, see this article: Run payroll reports.

The OP's post has nothing to do with reports.

RE: I'm also attaching this article that you can utilize to ensure a smooth and accurate process for preparing your tax forms at the end of the year: Year-end checklist for QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Well, despite that article, things aren't going to be smooth at all for the OP and many of your other payroll customers.

J

JamesBCPAAuthor

Just wanted to pop back in and remind everyone at QuickBooks that THIS ISSUE IS STILL NOT FIXED! IT IS JANUARY 10, 2024 AND WE NEED TO FILE FORMS W2. WHAT IS YOUR SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM? @JoesemM

J

JamesBCPAAuthor

AANNNDDD.... I just discovered that I can't e-file ANY of this client's Forms W2s because 5 of the employees have not received social security numbers for which they have applied! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I even de-selected those employees, thinking I could e-file the other 350 Forms W2 and manually file the 5 with applied-for SSNs, QuickBooks has me COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AT THIS POINT! AM I GOING TO HAVE TO MANUALLY ENTER 354 FORMS W2 TO THE SSA? IS THAT YOUR SOLUTION, INTUIT? FIX THIS NOW, NOW, NOW!

BigRedConsultingAnswer

I think that if you set the employee SSN's to all zeros then you will be able to e-file, as well as print employee W-2's that say "Applied for" in the SSN box, per regulations.

I wrote this free little utility to do just that:

https://bigredconsulting.com/products/employee-fixer/

J

JamesBCPAAuthor

@BigRedConsulting, you are a beast! This little utility somehow snuck in the back door and fooled QuickBooks into accepting [removed] as the SSN and I can now e-file my W2s for employees who have applied for SSNs but have not received them. THANK YOU! If you are having this problem (and, YES, INTUIT, IT IS A PROBLEM THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE FIXED), I highly recommend following the link to get the utility @BigRedConsulting created. Happy returns, everyone!

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