Filing Information - W2

File Format

The Electronic Filing W-2 (EFW2) file format (specified by the Social Security Administration) is required for federal filing. This format is also accepted by most states.

Clients filing W-2s to non-EFW2 states will need to maintain separate W-2 definition files and run a separate version of the software to create those non-EFW2 files.

Clients filing 1099-R information should be aware that 1099-Rs are produced using the W-2 process. A separate 1099-R definition file must be used and a separate mask (PYW29R) is used for creating the forms and file outputs. Otherwise, the procedures outlined in the W-2 documentation apply.

Generate the Electronic File

The W-2 files generated are of two types, federal and state. Each is named according to the following convention:

Federal — W2FEDnnA The federal file where "nn" is the 2-digit tax year.
State — W2xxnnA Each state file where "xx" is the standard 2-character state abbreviation and "nn" is the 2-digit tax year.

Caution: When generating W-2 files, it is important to understand that standard files having standard names as described above will be overwritten each time the process is run. If a file with a standard file name is to be saved, it should be renamed to avoid accidental loss.

Prior to transmitting the electronic file to the Social Security Administration, be sure the check it for errors using AccuWage.

Transferring Electronic Submission Files

PowerSchool assumes no responsibility for the content or correctness of the printed W-2 forms or electronic submission files. It remains each client-site's responsibility to ensure those filings are correct. This responsibility extends to making sure that the files are transferred to the reporting agencies correctly.

In past years, the remlabel command needed to be run manually. This process should be automatic with changes to the PY601 program. To confirm this, the user can run "ls on W2FEDYYA*" via a telnet session. There should be a W2FEDYYA file and W2FEDYYA.orig. The .orig has the MPE label in it. If the file needs to be padded, the user will need to run "pad <filename> 512." To view the file, the user will need to run "vi W2FEDYYA" at a telnet prompt.