HR Guide - End-of-Year Payroll Reminders: 2023 ➨ 2024 (2024)

Form W-2s

The target date for Wage and Tax Statements (W-2 forms) to be available for viewing and printing in Employee Express (EEX) is January 13, 2024. In addition, hard copy W-2s will be provided to all employees who did not elect to turn off the printed W-2. Hard copy W-2s will be mailed no later than January 31, 2024. Printed W-2s will be sent to the employee’s address of record. We encourage everyone expecting a printed W-2 to verify their address of record is accurate in EEX. Employees should also verify their address of record is correct if they submitted a forwarding or change of addresses to the U.S. Postal Service. Any corrections or changes to addresses should be completed by December 15, 2023, to ensure receipt of hard copy W-2. The address may be verified by reviewing the latest electronic Leave and Earnings Statements in Employee Express.

If you would like to make the election for the electronic 2023 Form W-2, these changes must be processed prior to December 26, 2023. There are many advantages to receiving your W-2 electronically:

• Your W-2 is conveniently available to view, print or save at any time on a safe and secure website anywhere there is internet access.
• You reduce the risk of identity theft associated with a lost or stolen form as a result of postal delivery.
• You can access your W-2 earlier than the mailing of the hard printed copy (the 2023 Form W-2s will be available January 13, 2024, as opposed to being mailed by January 31, 2024).
• There’s one W-2 with multiple states and localities.
• The W-2 instruction sheet is available in EEX.
• You can access five most recent years’ worth of W-2s.
• The W-2C form, Corrected Wage and Tax Statements, is updated on a daily basis.
• You are choosing an environmentally friendly alternative.

Here’s how to change your election from a hard printed copy to an electronic version:

2. Access Employee Express.
3. Log in using your user ID and password or your PIV card.
4. Select the “W2 Hard Copy On/Off” link under in the Payroll-Personnel Actions section in the left column of the Main Menu page.
5. Select the Off option and Save.
6. Confirm your election.
7. Input your email address if you wish to receive confirmation of your election.

If you elect this option, you agree and acknowledge that you will obtain your W-2 directly from EEX and a hard copy will not be mailed to you. Employees who separate will automatically receive a hard copy by mail. For assistance with EEX user IDs and passwords, please submit a help desk request by clicking on the help icon, question mark, located in the top right-hand corner of the Login page on the Employee Express website.

Form 1095-C

Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage will be available for viewing and printing in Employee Express by January 13, 2024. To ensure protection of personally identifiable information (PII), please elect electronic 1095-Cs in EEX prior to December 26, 2023. In addition, hard copy Form 1095-Cs will be mailed no later than March 1, 2024, for all employees who did not elect to turn off the hard copy form. Printed Form 1095-Cs will be sent to the employee’s address of record. More information can be viewed at the IRS site at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1095-c.

Form W-4 Claiming Exempt Withholding

To continue an exemption from withholding in 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires those claiming exemption from withholding to fill out a new Form W-4, no later than February 9, 2024. If a new Form W-4 has not been entered into EEX or the FPPS between January 1 and February 9, 2024, the employee’s federal withholdings status will be changed to the highest possible withholding. The IRS has not yet updated the 2024 Form W-4 but once available, it may be viewed at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf.

The Federal Income Tax Withholding Formula for wages paid in 2024 will be updated soon on our Payroll Operations website. Employees contributing pre-tax deductions should subtract their biweekly pre-tax contributions from their biweekly gross pay before utilizing the formula.

State and Local Taxes

We encourage every employee to review their Leave and Earnings Statement to ensure that taxes are being withheld from the correct state and/or locality. If taxes are being withheld for the incorrect state or locality, you should correct the information immediately in Employee Express and contact the Customer Support Center as soon as possible. The Payroll Office has a limited capability to correct prior year tax errors, and 2023 errors not identified until 2024 may require the employee to file a tax return to recover taxes withheld for the wrong tax entity. Wages for non-taxing states are not reported on Form W-2s.

Voluntary Tax Allotments

Since these allotments are remitted to the locality on the employee’s behalf, the amount of ‘estimated’ tax deductions withheld through a Voluntary Tax Allotment will be reflected on the Form W-2, Box 14, item 8 - Estimated Local Tax. These amounts are only estimated. Reconciliation occurs when the employee files an applicable tax return with the locality.

Social Security (OASDI) Tax

The 2024 Social Security wage base for OASDI increased to $168,600. There is no wage base limit for Medicare tax. For 2024, the Social Security tax rate remains 6.2%, and the Medicare tax remains at 1.45% for all wages. Additionally, any earnings in excess of $200,000 will be taxed an additional 0.9% Medicare tax. The tax rates shown above do not include this additional 0.9%. More information about this tax can be found at 2024 Social Security Changes - COLA Fact Sheet.

Occupational Privilege Tax

Certain localities require that an Occupational Privilege Tax be taken from employees in their jurisdiction. The occupational privilege tax is levied when working within a specific district. While some localities withhold the tax in the first full pay period of the year, the actual deduction will depend on the locality’s withholding requirements.