The deadline for employers to electronically file their information returns, which include W-2s and some 1099s, has moved up to January 31. This applies to filing with both the IRS and the Oregon Department of Revenue.
The deadline shift stems from recent changes to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, and Oregon’s laws require that state tax deadlines mirror similar federal deadlines. According to the IRS, the intent of the earlier deadline is to have employer wage information on hand to compare against wage information reported on individuals’ tax returns to help detect tax refund fraud.
In Oregon, all W-2s and most 1099s must be filed electronically using the Department of Revenue’s Income and Wage Information Return E-services (iWire) application. Last year, the department processed over 4 million W-2s and 1099s from more than 138,000 businesses.
iWire is now available through Revenue Online–the department’s self-service site. Aside from the new location, returning iWire users will also notice some significant improvements to the filing process this year, thanks to a redesign of the application.
Users now have three filing options: manual entry, bulk file upload, and spreadsheet import. Filers can put their information into the spreadsheet template and import that document directly into iWire. The system will then create individual W-2 and 1099 entries for review and validation. The manual entry option is now more user-friendly, with an entry screen that looks like the information return form, making it quicker and easier to enter data from a W-2 or 1099.
iWire users can now save their progress, and the error detection process has also been improved. iWire will instantly tell users if there are any errors in their submission and provide the line number the error appears on. This is significant for those submitting information returns for hundreds or thousands of employees because they won’t have to spend time searching through their entire submission for an error.
For more information on changes to iWire, visit www.oregon.gov/dor/business. To learn more about Revenue Online or to sign up for an account, visit www.oregon.gov/dor.
Visit www.oregon.gov/dor to get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments; or call 1 (800) 356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish); (503) 378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon; or email, questions.dor@oregon.gov. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 1 (800) 886-7204.
