Ohio State employees now have the opportunity to access and process their Form W-2 online — a process that will not only save money for the university, but will also be easier and less time consuming for employees.

The Form W-2 shows employees their compensations and tax withholdings for the current calendar year. In the past, employees were only able to receive their W-2s through the mail; now they are able to choose.

“Making the Form W-2 available online is another step toward providing better service to OSU faculty, staff and student employees by taking advantage of the Web platform,” said Karen Carroll, director of payroll for the Office of Human Services.

By filling out the form online, employees receive earlier access to the Form W-2 than they would through the traditional mail process. The electronic process can also benefit employees who need to access a copy of the form at a later date.

“Those who have corrections to their W-2 or who need a reprint will be able to access those options via the Internet, IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition), or phone so that employees can use the method that is most convenient to them,” Carroll said.

Though the university also benefits from the electronic filing system, both forms will continue to be offered, Carroll said.

OSU has contracted with TALX, the same company that provides the university’s employment verification services, to save 39 cents on each form filed electronically in addition to the 37 cents postage required to mail the document to an employee’s home.

“The university would like to take advantage of the savings associated with the online W-2, and for this reason we will continue to offer this and similar services. As of now, no decision has been made to eliminate printing of W-2s in the near future,” Carroll said.

The Web site enables employees to import their information directly into online tax software such as Quicken Turbo Tax or H&R Block’s TaxCut. The site also offers discounts on such software.

Despite the advantages of the electronic forms, some people might question the security risks involved in posting such information on the Internet. Jackson Hewitt General Manager Phil Sims said the program is no different than other online accounts.

“Filling out the forms online is no less secure than online banking or anything else on the Internet. If someone knows your code or social security number anyone can access your information. That is the inherent risk of working online,” Sims said.

Through the partnership with TALX, OSU has taken several security precautions to prevent such access including multiple levels of security that will protect employees information, Carroll said.

The benefits of Web access, along with the extra security steps taken by the university provided Christy Rhoads, administrative assistant to the College of Education, with enough incentive to process her form online.

“I chose to fill the form out online because I was able to access the W-2 sooner so I could file my tax return. I’ll see how it works out this year,” Rhoads said. “I just trust the university will keep the information secure enough so that no one will be able to get into the system and get information.”

In order to participate for the 2002 year employees had to have their forms filled out by Jan. 9. Any forms received after that date will provide consent for the following year.