Box 1
Box 1 shows your total taxable wages, tips, prizes and other compensation, as well as any taxable fringe benefits. It does not include elective deferrals to retirement plans, pretax benefits or payroll deductions.

What does wages mean on W-2?

Form W-2, also known as the Wage and Tax Statement, is the document an employer is required to send to each employee and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at the end of the year. A W-2 reports employees’ annual wages and the amount of taxes withheld from their paychecks.

Why are my Social Security wages lower than my wages on my W-2?

The other mystery on your W-2 is why your Social Security wages differ from your actual pay. If you earned more than $118,500 last year, you ran up against the Social Security tax cap, which is the max income you pay Social Security taxes on. In that case, your Box 3 wages will likely be less than your Box 1 wages.

Does W-2 wages include 401k?

Generally, contributions to your 401(k) or TSP plan will show up in box 12 of your W-2 form, with the letter code D.

What is taxable income in box 1 of W-2?

The employee’s taxable wages in Box 1 are $48,000. The employee’s taxable wages in Boxes 3 and 5 are $50,000. Retirement plan contributions might be subject to state income tax, depending on the state. Some states follow federal rules when it comes to tax-exempt retirement contributions.

How do you calculate total salary on W-2?

You may use either of those boxes to calculate your total salary. Box 1 of the W-2 shows your taxable wages for federal income tax purposes. To arrive at your total salary using Box 1, add your federal taxable wages shown in that box to your nontaxable wages plus your pretax deductions that are exempt from federal income tax.

Why are my W-2 wages lower than my salary?

What you see on your W-2 is your taxable income, not your total salary. What’s more, the amount shown in Box 1 for “wages, tips and other compensation” may be different than the amount in Box 3 for “Social Security wages” or the amount in Box 5 for “Medicare wages,” and all three sums may be less than what you actually earned in 2015.

When to call central payroll for W2 wages?

The resulting amount should equal Box 3 Social Security Wages and Box 5 Medicare Wages on your W-2. If you find that after making these adjustments to your Gross Pay YTD per your final pay stub, the result does not match Box 3 Social Security Wages and Box 5 Medicare Wages on your W-2, call Central Payroll, 617-495-8500, option 4 for assistance.