Your employer should be able to send you a copy of your W-2. They are required by law to keep them for at least 4 years. Some employers will charge a nominal fee for the copy.
1099s are used to report: interest, dividends, brokerage trades, self-employment income, and other types of income. Banks and brokerages should be able to send you copies of these 1099s or you may be able to download them from their web site. If you worked as a consultant or independent contractor and made more than $400, you should receive a 1099-MISC. Copies of these should be obtainable from the payer.
The IRS receives copies of all these forms. You can request copies of your tax documents from them. You can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and request your income transcript for a particular year. We can also make this call for you if you authorize us to do so. Fill out form 8821 and send it to us, or give us a call.
