what is the difference between a w 2 and a w 4 
a w 4 provides an employer with an employee s tax id number usually ssn marital status number of allowances and dependents and how much tax to withhold with each paycheck the w 4 is filled out when an employee is hired or if any changes must be made to filing status or withholding the w 2 is filled out by employers at the end of the tax year and sent to employees to input on their tax returns 49the bottom lineform w 2 is an irs form that employers must send to an employee and the irs every year the form reports an employee s annual wages and the taxes withheld employees also use the form to file their taxes every year 