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H
Heringer02
June 17, 2025
Question

Fake SSN Used

  • June 17, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 8 views

We discovered that an employee used a SSN that belonged to another person.  We need to change the SSN in QB so that when I run W2's it isn't sent to SSA and reports income on this social security number falsely.  QB won't allow you to input [removed], which is what IRS and SSA tell you to do on their website.  So what do I do?  The employee has since been terminated due to falsifying his I-9 so I can't go back to him and request a new SSN, which is what QB was telling me to do.  I also can't write on his W-2 all zero's or Applied For because everything is sent electronically now.  So what are my options?  QB also won't allow me to leave this blank either.  I can't knowingly send a W2 out using someone else's SSN.  

1 reply

A
ArielIQuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
June 17, 2025

You are absolutely right, @Heringer02. Filing W-2s in QuickBooks Online (QBO) is not possible when an employee's SSN is incorrect. Let me explain a few important points to guide you through the necessary steps before we move forward.

 

It’s essential to ensure that all information is accurate to maintain compliance with IRS regulations. Even though the employee has been terminated, I recommend reaching out to them to inquire if they have obtained a new number. If they have not secured one, it would be important to contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) for assistance and guidance on how to proceed in this situation.

 

In case the employee provides the new SSN, you can update their profile by entering the new number and changing their status from terminated to active. For detailed instructions on how to make these changes in QuickBooks, please refer to this article: Correct your employee's Social Security number.

 

Once everything is completed and the W-2 forms have been successfully filed, you can print them to retain copies for your records.

 

Have you already reached out to them? I'll be glad to hear updates from you after following my suggestions above. If you have further questions, please let us know and we'll respond to you as soon as possible.

H
Heringer02Author
June 17, 2025

We have taken all the necessary steps in notifying SSA about the social security number and done our due diligence.  We have also followed IRS and Homeland Security guidelines when hiring.  These suggestions do not assist in correcting the situation in that QB does not allow zero's to be input per IRS and SSA instructions.  We are unable to reach out to our terminated employee and given that the W2's are filed electronically I cannot legally file a W2 knowing it is with a false SSN.  So what is QB resolution to this issue?

 

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