What taxpayers can do if they haven’t received all their tax documents

Before filing a federal tax return, taxpayers should make sure they have the necessary and correct documents.

Here’s what taxpayers should do if they haven’t received their Form W-2 or Form 1099 yet.

Taxpayer options for missing documents

• Contact the employer, payer or issuing agency and request the missing or corrected documents.
• Taxpayers who have an IRS Individual Online Account can view and download their available wage and income transcripts for 2025. In some cases, a transcript may not populate and a message of “No record of return filed” may show. This is because the IRS has not received the data from the employer. Other tax documents can be downloaded and include:
  • Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement
  • Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement
  • Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation
  • Form 1099-DIV, Dividends and Distributions
  • Form 1099-INT, Interest Income
  • Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information
• If needed, taxpayers can estimate the wages or payments made to them, as well as any taxes withheld. To avoid filing an incomplete return, they should use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, or Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, Etc.
• If they receive the missing or corrected Form W-2 or Form 1099-R after filing their tax return and the information differs from their previous estimate, they must file Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.

What to do if a Form 1099-G for unemployment benefits is incorrect
Unemployment benefits are considered taxable income; therefore, taxpayers must report any unemployment compensation on their tax return.

• Taxpayers who receive an inaccurate Form 1099-G should contact the issuing state agency to request a revised Form 1099-G showing their correct benefits. If they are unable to get a timely, corrected form from the state, they should still file an accurate tax return, reporting only the income received.
• If the taxpayer didn’t receive unemployment benefits but did receive a Form 1099-G for unemployment compensation, this may be a sign that the taxpayer’s identity was stolen.