How To File Taxes With Your Last Pay Stub

Tax season is one of the most stressful times of the year, however, it doesn't have to be. Your W-2 form will provide you with most of the information you need to file your taxes. However, sometimes your employer may have failed to provide you with one, making things a little trickier.
Not to worry. As long as you have a pay stub, you'll be perfectly able to file your own taxes, with minimum hassle. If you want to know how to file taxes with last pay stub, all you need to do is follow a few simple steps.

The information on your pay stub, which you can generate yourself online, will help you figure out everything you need to know. You'll be able to calculate how much you owe, as well as determine whether or not you might be due a refund.
As long as you're filing your taxes online, which is known as e-filing, filing taxes with last pay stub is totally legal and relatively simple. Here's everything you need to know about filing taxes with your last pay stub.

Also read: Required Information On A Pay Stub

Filing Your Taxes Online

For those wondering "can you file taxes with your last pay stub?", the answer is yes, but the best way to do so is online. It is possible to use a pay stub to file taxes in the traditional way, but you'll need to notify the IRS that you're doing so, and fill out a 4852 form.
This can be done in lieu of a W-2. First off, it's important to remember that you can only file your taxes online under certain circumstances. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the maximum gross income threshold for those wishing to e-file for free with the IRS FreeFile service is currently $57,000.

If you earn any more than this in a year, you will have to file your taxes by printing and mailing your tax return. You will also be unable to e-file if you are under 16 years old and have never filled in a tax return previously.
If you are currently resident in Guam, the U.S Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa, you will also be unable to e-file. You can still prepare your return online, but you will have to print and mail it if any of the above applies to you.
If you fit the bill and have an accurate pay stub, as well as a decent WiFi connection, you're good to go!

Also read: Employee’s Gross Pay

How To File Taxes With Last Pay Stub The Right Way

How to use your last pay stub as W-2 form is not as perplexing as it may seem? Essentially, a pay stub will be able to provide most, if not all of the information you need to file your taxes, that you would normally get from a W-2.
Your pay stub will, of course, have your monthly or bi-weekly income on it, which is the most important piece of information the IRS needs. It will also list any tax deductions that come out of your paycheck. These are especially important for when you're doing a tax refund calculator using pay stub.

The tax deductions should be listed as abbreviations on your pay stub, next to the total amount deducted. These will normally include Federal Income Tax (often listed simply as "FED") - this is usually withheld by the Internal Revenue Service.
Your home state will also withhold any state income tax due, this is usually listed on your pay stub as "SIT", although this varies. There will also be entries for any local taxes, social security taxes (usually amounting to 6.8% of all income lower than $118,000), and Medicare taxes.
Medicare taxes are usually abbreviated as "MEDI". Once you have all of these deductions in front of you, you can use them to estimate your annual tax payment. If it's a monthly pay stub, simply add these deductions together and multiply them by 12. If it's a bi-weekly pay stub, simply multiply by 24, and so on.

Once you have your estimate, it's time to use a tax calculator!

What Else You'll Need

The information listed above will all be on your pay stub. This should be sufficient to file your taxes. However, to make sure you have calculated the right amount and that you aren't paying too much (or too little), you'll need a tax calculator.
You should always do this before going to file your taxes with pay stub. There is no shortage of trustworthy and accurate tax calculators out there on the web. You'll be able to calculate it accurately by adding in your year-to-date taxable income alongside any leftover taxable income that is not in the pay stub you are using to file your taxes.

You should also provide the calculator with further information. If you have any dependents or other similar outgoings, make sure to include those. Also, try and include any tips or expenses that may be relevant. It's important to make sure the tax calculator you are using is up to date and relevant to the current tax year.

Once ran all of this information through a calculator, you should be able to determine if you're owed a big fat refund by the IRS. Make sure to run the information through several times in order to confirm that your result is accurate.
If you find that you're owed a particularly large refund, it may be that your employer is withholding too much from your paycheck for deductions. Likewise, if you're unfortunate enough to owe a lot of extra money to the IRS, you should consider arranging more to be withheld from your paycheck for tax purposes.

Learn More

The only things in life that are certain are death and taxes. Over a third of Americans file their own taxes, and none of them enjoy doing it. However, with the right tools and information, filing taxes with last pay stub can be a simple and quick process.
Create your paystubs today with our paystub generator to file your taxes easier!