The IRS offers multiple ways to verify your identity with ID.me.

You can use either a self-service process that requires a photo of a government ID and selfie, or a live call with an ID.me video chat agent that doesn’t require biometric data. Any selfie, video, and/or biometric data will be deleted automatically, except for suspicious or fraudulent activity.

Yes, but an actual copy of your Form W-2 is only available if you submitted it with a paper tax return:

Transcript

• You can get a wage and income transcript, containing the Federal tax information your employer reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA), by visiting our Get Your Tax Record page. Refer to Transcript Types and Ways to Order Them and About Tax Transcripts for more information.
• You can also use Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return. Check the box for Form W-2, specify which tax year(s) you need, and mail or fax the completed form. Most requests will be processed within 10 business days from the IRS received date.

Copy

• If you e-filed your tax return or you didn't attach your Form W-2 to your paper return, then use one of the transcript options above. Otherwise, you'll need to contact your employer or SSA for a copy.
• The quickest way to obtain a copy of your current year Form W-2 is through your employer. Your employer first submits Form W-2 to SSA; after SSA processes it, they transmit the federal tax information to the IRS.
• If you can't get your Form W-2 from your employer and you previously attached it to your paper tax return, you can order a copy of the entire return from the IRS for a fee. Complete and mail Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax Return along with the required fee. Allow 75 calendar days for us to process your request. We will waive the fee for taxpayers impacted by a federally declared disaster. (For more information, see Publication 3067, IRS Disaster Assistance, Federally Declared Disaster Area PDF)

Contact an IRS customer service representative to correct any agency errors by calling 800-829-1040 (see telephone assistance for hours of operation). Unfortunately, this may result in you receiving a paper check.

Although these forms are called information returns, they serve different functions.

Employers use Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement to:

• Report wages, tips, or other compensation paid to an employee.
• Report the employee's income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes withheld and other information.

Employers furnish the Form W-2 to the employee and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA shares the information with the Internal Revenue Service.

Payers use Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information and/or Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation to:

• Report any amount of federal income tax withheld under the backup withholding rules (Form 1099-MISC or Form 1099-NEC).
• Report payments of $10 or more made in the course of a business in royalties or broker payments in lieu of dividends or tax-exempt interest (Form 1099-MISC).
• Report payments of $600 or more made in the course of a business in rents, prizes and awards, other income and for other specified purposes, including gross proceeds paid to an attorney (Form 1099-MISC).
• Report payments of at least $600 in the course of a business to a person who's not an employee for services, including payments to an attorney (Form 1099-NEC).
• Report sales totaling $5,000 or more of consumer products to a person on a buy-sell, a deposit-commission, or other commission basis for resale (Form 1099-MISC or Form 1099-NEC).

Payers file Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC with the IRS and provide them to the person or business that received the payment.