W-2 Information for Separated Employees

W-2 Information for Separated Employees

Upon termination, your online Form W-2s will still be available in ESS. 

All subsequent W-2s furnished after your termination effective date will be delivered as a paper copy to the most updated address on file in Human Resources. They will also be available in  SuccessFactors (Employee Central).

You may be required to print and attach your W-2(s) to your Federal, Local, and/or State tax return(s).

Form W-2 Instructions (normally printed on the back)

You will receive the following forms

  • What it is: The W-2 is a tax form that reports your annual wages and the taxes withheld from your pay.  
  • Who gets it: All UC employees who received wages from the university during the previous year. 
  • How it is received:  Online W-2s:  W-2s will be available by January 31st in Employee Self Service (ESS) for those enrolled in electronic delivery. You’ll get an email alert when it’s ready. 
  • How it is received:  Paper W-2s:  If not enrolled for online delivery, your W-2 will be mailed to your home address no later than Feb. 2nd of the current year. 
    For taxes: Required to file. Keep Copy C of your W-2 permanently for your records and tax filing; Report Box 1 wages on your federal tax return.  

NOTE: You may receive multiple W-2s if you worked for more than one employer or in multiple locations last year. 

If you have any questions regarding the information included on your Form W-2, please e-mail Payroll Operations at UCFlexpa@uc.edu.

  • What it is? Form 1095-C is a tax form required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Proof of employer-offered health insurance (ACA requirement). 
  • Who gets it?  Anyone eligible or enrolled in a UC medical plan or considered a full-time employee during the previous year. 
  • How it is received? The form will be mailed to your home address on file in HR and is not available online. 
  • For taxes:  Not required to file your tax return, but keep for your records. 

As soon as they’re available, please review and verify that the following data is correct on your W-2, your pay statements, and Form 1095-C: 
  • Your name should match your name on your Social Security Card. 
  • Your Social Security Number should match your number on your Social Security Card. 
  • Your current home address should be displayed. 
  • Your correct taxing jurisdictions should be included. 
  • Please ensure that you have added your dependents’ Social Security Numbers into their records through your ESS account.
     
Corrections are to be requested as follows: 
  • Name changes and Social Security Number corrections – send an updated Social Security card to Hris@ucmail.uc.edu.

Understanding Tax Information

Form W-2
Item Description  
Box 1

WAGES, TIPS, OTHER COMPENSATION

  • This is the taxable amount reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  

  • It includes any taxable fringe benefits (such as the taxable portion of graduate level tuition remission), as well as the taxable value of group-term life insurance (see Box 12, below).

  • It includes all earnings and UC benefit credits paid to you in 2025 less all of your pre-tax benefit and retirement deductions.

  • Action: Your taxable (Box 1) gross should be entered on the wages line of your Federal tax return.  

  
Box 5

MEDICARE WAGES AND TIPS 

  • Shows your income subject to Medicare tax.

  • Not reduced by retirement deferrals but adjusted by credits and pre-tax deductions for Choice Benefits and pre-tax parking.

  • There was no applicable limit on Medicare wages in 2025.

  
Box 6

MEDICARE TAX WITHHELD

  • Shows the amount of Medicare tax withheld.

  • State employees in Ohio do not pay into Social Security, but state and local government employees hired, or rehired, after 3/31/86 must pay the Medicare portion of the Social Security (FICA) tax.  

  • The only applicable exceptions at UC are student employees working while enrolled at least half time and attending classes, and international students and scholars visiting the U.S. for a limited period and considered tax nonresidents under F-1 or J-1 visas.  

  • The Medicare tax rate is 1.45% or 2.35% for taxable earnings over $200,000.00.

  
Box 10

DEPENDENT CARE BENEFITS  

  • This is the pre-tax amount paid into a dependent care flexible spending account as part of the UC Benefits program.  

  • Only dependent care benefits are reportable. Other pre-tax deductions withheld under UC’s Benefits plan are not reportable.

  
Boxes  12a–12d: 

SPECIAL CODES

  • Up to five amounts may appear, when applicable.

  • Key codes included here and in the Notice to Employee on the back of your Form W-2 are:

C -  Taxable value of life insurance coverage: The calculated taxable value of group-term life insurance in excess of $50,000 that has been added into Box 1 as "other compensation".

E -   Section 403(b) pre-tax deductions: Total “elective deferrals”, which include pre-tax employee deductions to the “grandfathered” (pre-1977) TIAA/Fidelity retirement plan, as well as all of UC’s supplemental Tax Deferred Opportunities (TDO), other than the Ohio Deferred Compensation Plan.  STRS, OPERS, and ARP deductions DO NOT add into this total.  Internal Revenue Code Section 403(b) plan deferrals were generally limited to $23,500 in 2025, with a $7,500 “catch-up” deferral permitted if you were over age 50 or reached age 50 by 12/31/2025.

G - Section 457(b) contributions (Ohio Public Employees Deferred Comp Plan): Any amount that you contributed to the Ohio Public Employees Deferred Compensation Plan (OPEDC).  Up to $23,500 could additionally have been deferred into this plan in 2025. The $7,500 “over age 50” catch-up was also applicable, or a special catch-up provision was available near “normal retirement age” (contact OPEDC for details).

W – Employer HSA contributions (including section 125 cafeteria plan contributions): Employer contributions (including amounts the employee elected to contribute using a section 125 (cafeteria) plan) to your health savings account.

DD - Aggregate reportable cost of UC-sponsored group health plan coverage:Aggregate reportable cost includes the cost of coverage under the UC-sponsored group health plan for the employee and any person covered by the plan because of a relationship with the employee. The amount reported with Code DD is not taxable.

  
Box 13

Retirement Plan

  • The “Retirement plan” block must be checked for all UC employees, including student employees who chose not to contribute to OPERS based on an optional student exemption. 

  • By checking the “Retirement plan” block, an employer notifies the IRS that an employee’s eligibility for a deductible Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) is limited.

  
 Boxes 18, 19, and 20

 LOCAL WAGES/TAXES/LOCALITY NAMES. 

  • In addition to the information reported for municipal income taxes withheld, Ohio SCHOOL DISTRICT INCOME TAX (SDIT) data will be provided in these boxes if any SDIT has been withheld.  

  • Only one locality will print on each W-2, so employees with more than one local tax will receive multiple copies of Form W-2, each indicating a separate locality.  

  • Please note that the combination of Indiana or Kentucky state tax and Cincinnati tax will also result in two forms printing.

  
General Instructions for Form W-2 and W-3 (2025)
If you have any questions regarding the information included on your Form W-2, please e-mail Payroll Operations.  

Online W-2 enrollment for future year W-2’s is available in Employee Self Service (ESS). Enroll today and your future W-2’s will be available for you to print in early January next year. This will greatly speed up your access to your W-2 and contribute to the University's green initiative. The cutoff date to enroll is December 31st.

If enrolled, you will receive an e-mail in early January informing you how to view and print your W-2 using ESS. You can also reprint your W-2 at any time.

Your election to enroll in the online W-2 program will carry forward to future years, saving you the time and effort of enrolling annually. Should you decide to revert to receiving a mailed copy of your W-2, you can change your election up to December 31st each year. Please ensure your address is up-to-date in ESS.

To enroll in the online W-2 program - 
Log into the UC network from campus or by using VPN access when off campus. 

Log into UCFlex.

  • Click on the “ESS” Tab.
  • Click on the “Overview – Employee Self Service” tile
  • Click on "Your Pay Statement, W-4 Tax Withholding, and Online W2 Services."
  • Click on "Make Your Online W2 Election."
  • Read the Disclosure Notice.
  • Click the checkbox that says "I agree to the above terms and conditions."
  • Make your election (2 options):
    • Receive a paper W-2.
    • Receive an online W-2.
  • Click Save
    • Two messages will appear at the top of the screen:
    • "You will receive an email confirmation shortly." "Your election has been saved successfully."

Further details can be found in the Disclosure Notice on the W-2 election screen. 

Other matters not covered above, or in the Disclosure Notice, should be directed to Payroll Operations.

 

NOTE: Please make sure to print/save ALL W-2 pages.

Microsoft Edge and Firefox are the preferred browsers, if you get an error please try a different browser.

Please see the below instructions for viewing and printing your 2025 Form W-2. You can also view instructions with screenshots at this link: Instructions for accessing your W-2 in UCFlex

Instructions to print your W-2 online

1. To view and print your online W-2, you must be logged in to the UC network - which means accessing UCFlex from the UC campus or using VPN access when off campus.

2.  Log into UCFlex (www.ucflex.uc.edu) 

3.  Select the “ESS” Tab

4.  Select Overview- Employee Self Service

5.  Go to Your Pay Statement, W-4 Tax Withholding, and Online W2 Services section.

  1. Select Online W2 Services > Display and Print your W2
  2. Note: The option under Oline W2 Services provides a link to "View W2 Instructions". These Form W-2 instructions are the same instructions that are printed on the back of a paper Form W-2.

6.  Enter the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number (SSN)

  1. If you do not have a SSN or you experience an issue when entering the last 4 of your SSN please contact Central HR by emailing hris@uc.edu.

7. Select the W-2 of the year you wish to view. 

 

8.  Select “Display”

9.  Select the "Next" button to retrieve additional pages if you have multiple W-2's to view.

 

  1. NOTE: Some employees will have multiple W-2's per year.  If this is the case for you, the "Next Form" button will be activated. 

 

10.  To print the selected/displayed Form W-2, right-click on the PDF in the display window and choose “Print”.

 

  1. REMINDER: Some employees will have multiple W-2's per year. Make sure to display and print all pages of your Form W-2 for your tax filings. 

 

11.  To view the PDF, use a compatible internet browser and appropriate version of Adobe Acrobat software.

 

  1. Use a compatible browser: Microsoft Edge and Firefox are the preferred browsers, if you get an error please try a different browser.

    1. Download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

Issues with Employee Self Service login or trouble viewing the Form W-2 PDF should be directed to our Help Desk at (513) 556-4357 (Option 2) or https://ituc.service-now.com/sp.

DISCLOSURE NOTICE:

Form W-2 Consent

If you do consent to receive your Form W-2 online, you will not receive a paper copy of the subsequent W-2 furnished for you. The designation made will be in effect for all future Form W-2’s furnished, unless rescinded.

If you have consented to receive the Form W-2 online, communications will be sent in January to notify you when your online Form W-2 is available for viewing/printing.

​​​​​​​If you do not consent to receive your Form W-2 online, you will continue to receive a paper Form W-2.  This designation made will be in effect for all future Form W-2’s furnished, unless rescinded.

  • If you do not consent to receive your Form W-2 online, you are responsible to maintain a current address on Employee Self Service (ESS).  
  • If your consent is withdrawn, it applies only to future Form W-2’s and not to any which have already been made available online.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​If a successful election is made, you will be sent an e-mail verifying your election was made successfully. If no communication is sent to your UC e-mail, the election was likely unsuccessful.

 

Resources for Current UC Employees

W-2 information for current employees can be found on the Payroll Tax Forms and Information page on Bearcats Landing (faculty/staff intranet). 

Payroll Operations is not able to offer tax advice to any current or past employee on how to complete a tax return. Please consult a professional for assistance.