My W2 doesn't match my last paystub - what should I do?

This happens more often than you might think! Your W-2 is the official tax document, so that's what you should use when filing your taxes, regardless of what your last paystub shows. The discrepancy is likely due to some adjustments that happened after your last paystub was issued. Companies sometimes make year-end adjustments for things like taxable benefits, corrected classifications, or even payroll timing issues. For example, if you have health benefits, life insurance, or other pre-tax deductions, those final calculations might happen after your last paycheck. I'd recommend reaching out to your HR or payroll department just to understand what caused the difference. They should be able to explain the specific adjustments that were made. It'll give you peace of mind, and you'll know exactly what happened if you ever need to explain it.

I had a similar thing happen last year and was super confused until I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me understand what was going on. I uploaded my paystub and W-2, and it showed me exactly where the differences were coming from. In my case, it was some end-of-year benefit adjustments I hadn't realized were happening. The tool actually highlights the discrepancies between your documents and explains why they might differ - saved me hours of confusion and a panicked call to my company's payroll department (who never call back anyway lol). It also helped me confirm I was using the right numbers when I filed my taxes.

Ok I have to admit I was wrong about taxr.ai in my earlier comment. I decided to try it after struggling to get anyone from HR on the phone for THREE DAYS. Uploaded my documents and it immediately showed me that the difference was from a taxable fringe benefit adjustment (apparently my company-paid life insurance over $50k is taxable?? Who knew). What I really liked was that it explained everything in plain English instead of tax jargon. It even showed me the IRS rules about why certain benefits get adjusted at year-end. Def recommend for anyone dealing with W2/paystub mismatches!

If you really need to talk to someone at your company but HR isn't responding, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year where I NEEDED to get clarification on my W-2 before filing but couldn't get through to anyone. I was skeptical at first, but their service actually worked! They helped me skip the wait time and got me to an actual human at my company's payroll department. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Saved me so much frustration and I got my question answered in minutes instead of waiting days for emails or callbacks.

I feel like I need to update you all on the Claimyr thing I was skeptical about in my last comment. After spending ANOTHER hour on hold with my company's payroll department yesterday, I gave up and decided to try it. Holy crap it actually works! I was connected to a payroll specialist in less than 15 minutes when I had been trying for days. The service called me when it reached a human and suddenly I was talking to a real person. The payroll person confirmed they made an adjustment for my taxable benefits after the last paycheck of the year (exactly what taxr.ai had indicated). Seriously, best money I've spent in a while just for the time saved!

Just call HR and ask them about it! Companies make year-end adjustments all the time for various reasons. At my company, they sometimes have to process taxable fringe benefits, correct misclassified earnings, or account for off-cycle payments. Your W-2 is what gets reported to the IRS, so that's what you need to use for your tax filing regardless of what your paystub says. The difference isn't huge so it's probably just a normal adjustment, but it's always good to understand what's on your tax documents.

This happened to me last year! There was a difference of almost $400 between my last paystub and my W-2. I freaked out at first but it turned out to be nothing concerning.

I went through the exact same thing two years ago and it stressed me out so much! Turns out my company had processed a small bonus in January that was attributed to the previous tax year, plus they made some adjustments for my HSA contributions that weren't reflected in my final December paystub. The key thing everyone here is saying is right - always use your W-2 numbers for filing. That's the official document that matches what your employer reported to the IRS. The paystub discrepancies are almost always just timing differences or year-end adjustments. I'd definitely recommend calling HR just to satisfy your curiosity about what caused the difference. In my case, they were super helpful and explained everything in about 5 minutes. It gave me so much peace of mind knowing exactly what happened instead of just wondering about it every time I looked at my tax return!

I've been through this exact situation and totally understand the anxiety! The $275 difference you're seeing is actually pretty typical for year-end adjustments. Like others have mentioned, your W-2 is the official document you should use for filing - that's what the IRS has on record from your employer. Common reasons for these discrepancies include: taxable fringe benefits (like life insurance over $50k), final HSA or 401k contribution adjustments, bonuses paid in January but attributed to the previous tax year, or corrections to benefit deductions. Definitely call HR - not because there's necessarily a problem, but because understanding what caused the difference will give you peace of mind. When I had a similar situation, HR explained it in just a few minutes and I felt so much better knowing exactly what happened. Plus, if the IRS ever has questions (which is unlikely for such a small amount), you'll already know the explanation. Don't stress too much about this - it's more common than you think and the IRS understands that these adjustments happen!