W-3 Form
W-3 Form
Form W-3 is the one-page summary that totals an employer’s W-2s for a tax year. On PayStubGo the W-3 Form is an add-on to a W-2 order: one per employer and tax year, in the official form layout, made from the W-2s in that order.
For your records. Not for filing with the SSA.
What you get
- One W-3 Form per employer and tax year, laid out like the official form for that year, with no added design or headings.
- Totals taken from the W-2s in the same order, so the summary and the employee copies agree.
- A PDF sent to the email address you confirm, as an attachment, together with the W-2s in the order, and kept in your account for download again for 1 year.
- $2.49 per employer and tax year. The add-on does not count toward your W-2 pack and has one price for every customer.
What is a W-3 form?
Form W-3 is the Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements. Where a Form W-2 reports one employee’s wages and withholding for the year, Form W-3 is the cover sheet for the whole set: it carries the employer’s details once and the totals of the W-2s that go with it.
The IRS instructions put it this way: anyone required to file Form W-2 must file Form W-3 to transmit Copy A of Forms W-2. The two forms share one set of instructions, the General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3.
W-3 vs W-2: what is the difference?
| Topic | Form W-2 | Form W-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wage and Tax Statement | Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements |
| What it covers | One employee, one tax year | All of one employer’s W-2s for one tax year |
| What the boxes hold | That employee’s wages and withholding | The totals of those boxes across the W-2s |
| Given to employees? | Yes, each employee gets copies of their own | No, never |
Who uses a W-3 form
Employers. A W-3 is never given to an employee and an employee never fills one in. It belongs to the employer’s own year-end paperwork, next to the employer’s copies of the W-2s.
On PayStubGo the W-3 Form is for the same person who can make W-2s here: the employer named on the forms, or a payroll or tax agent the employer has authorized. People keep it with their payroll records as a one-page check that the year’s W-2s add up to what the payroll shows.
What the W-3 totals come from
Every amount on the W-3 Form is a sum. Each box follows the W-2 box it totals: the wages box is the sum of that wages box across the W-2s, the federal income tax withheld box is the sum of that withholding box, and so on for the social security and Medicare boxes.
- Only the W-2s in the same order are counted.
- All of them must be for the same employer and the same tax year. A second employer or a second year needs its own W-3 Form.
- Nothing is typed twice and nothing is recalculated: if a W-2 in the order changes, the W-3 Form totals change with it.
Review the W-2 values before you download. The W-3 Form can only be as right as the W-2s it adds up.
How to add a W-3 Form to your W-2 order
- Start a W-2 order and enter the employer once.
- Add the W-2s for that employer and tax year.
- At checkout, tick the W-3 Form add-on. It is offered only when the order has at least one W-2, and it is never added for you.
- Confirm your email address and pay. The W-3 Form arrives with the W-2s and is kept in the W-2 section of your account.
The W-3 Form is not sold on its own, because without the W-2s there is nothing to total. For how a W-2 differs from the pay stubs behind it, see W-2 vs pay stub.
Which tax years are available
The W-3 Form can be ordered now for tax years 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021. PayStubGo supports 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Each tax year uses that year’s own official layout; one year’s form is never reused for another.
All tax form pages are listed on the tax forms hub.
Questions
W-3 form FAQ
What is a W-3 form used for?
Form W-3 is the Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements. It is a one-page summary that goes with a set of Forms W-2: anyone required to file Form W-2 must file Form W-3 to transmit Copy A of those W-2s. Its boxes carry the totals of the matching boxes on the W-2s it covers.
What is the difference between a W-2 and a W-3?
A Form W-2 reports one employee’s wages and withholding for the year, and the employee gets copies of it. A Form W-3 adds up all of an employer’s W-2s on one page. It carries the employer’s details once and the totals of the W-2 boxes.
Who gets a W-3 form?
Not employees. Under the IRS instructions, an employee is given Copies B, C and 2 of their own Form W-2. Form W-3 goes with Copy A of the W-2s, and the employer keeps a copy of it with its records.
How do I get a W-3 Form with my W-2s?
The W-3 Form is an add-on inside a W-2 order on PayStubGo. When your order has at least one W-2, you can add one W-3 Form for that employer and tax year for $2.49. It is made from the same W-2s, so there is nothing to type twice.
Which tax years are available?
Tax years 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 can be ordered now. PayStubGo supports 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021, each with that year's own official layout.
Do the totals match my W-2s?
Yes. Every total on the W-3 Form is the sum of that box across the W-2s in the same order, for the same employer and the same tax year. If you change a W-2 in the order, the W-3 Form totals follow it. W-2s made in a different order are not included.
Can I buy a W-3 Form on its own?
No. The W-3 Form is only sold inside a W-2 order, because its totals come from the W-2s in that order. One W-3 Form covers one employer and one tax year, and it does not count toward your W-2 pack.
Can I file this W-3 Form with the SSA?
No. For your records. Not for filing with the SSA. Filing Forms W-2 and W-3 with the Social Security Administration stays with the employer. The IRS instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 explain how employers file.
Why is the W-3 Form here not for filing with the SSA?
Because a form printed from a download is not the scannable form the SSA takes on paper. The IRS says so on the first page of its own W-2 and W-3 files: the official printed version is scannable, the version printed from its website is not, and a penalty may be imposed for filing forms that can’t be scanned. The IRS instructions add that the SSA accepts only e-filed reports and the official red-ink versions of these forms, or substitutes it has accepted. If you must file 10 or more information returns for the year, W-2s and 1099s counted together, you must e-file them all. Employers can file with the SSA online through Business Services Online, which creates the Form W-3 from the W-2s by itself. Keep the Form W-3 you download here with your records.