Form W-2
In accounting, form W-2 means the year-end statement of an employee's wages and withholding — boxes 1, 3 and 5 for income tax, Social Security and Medicare wages — furnished to the employee and filed with the SSA by January 31, with no automatic extension.
Also called Wage and Tax Statement.
Authority: General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026) (opens in a new tab). Sources
The lessons that teach this
From the free founder back-office course, taught on one company's books, with exercises to work it yourself.
For founders
The same idea written for a founder: what it costs a startup that ignores it, and what to do in a real month.
- W-2 year end for startups: boxes, deadlines, correctionsThe W-2 boxes founders get wrong (box 1 vs 3 vs 5, box 12 codes), the W-3, the SSA deadline, state copies, and how to fix a mistake with a W-2c.
- Employee expense reimbursements and accountable plansHow to reimburse employees tax-free under an IRS accountable plan: business purpose, timely receipts, excess returned, mileage and sales tax on receipts.
What it is not called
Each of these means something else. Use one here and an accountant reading the product notices.
- 1099-NEC (a contractor's)
- pay stub
Components that render the terms it depends on
No component names this concept outright, but it's built from terms that components do name. These render statement.
3Payments
Family spec- BankStatementOpening → lines with a running balance → closing, proven against the bank's own figure.
- LedgerTableDouble-entry with debit/credit columns and a balance check.
- PeriodGridThe ruled grid. Frozen panes, hidden columns, hover change, ⌘C.
- ReconciliationViewTwo-pane matcher. The match animation.
- TableColumnsSort and resize for a table that renders on the server.
- StatementOfChangesInEquityThe fourth statement. Equity components across, movements down.
- CashFlowStatementOperating / investing / financing.
- StatementNotesNumbered notes, referenced from the line they explain.
- StatementRowIndent level, subtotal, total, expand.
- StatementTableThe shared shell: hierarchy, periods, rules.
- StatementToolbarBasis, period, comparison, currency, consolidation.
- DrilldownSheetStatement line → the GL entries behind it.
- ReportHeaderEntity, statement, period, basis, currency, as-of. Every figure states its basis.
- BalanceSheetAssets / liabilities / equity, with the balance check.
- FluxAnalysisPeriod-over-period explanations.
- ReportingPackageA board or lender pack as one object: contents, basis, review state.
9Accounting core (GL)
Family spec10Receivables (AR)
Family specAlso in Payroll
Defined in Lexicon. This page is generated from that document, so the two can't disagree.