The IRS has approved a new rule that allows SSNs to be “masked” or truncated on any W2s issued after December 31, 2020. SSNs and TINs can now be printed on W2s with the first five numbers represented as “X” or “*”, e.g. XXX-XX-5555 or ***-**- 5555.
We take great care* to keep W2 information secure while it’s in our hands. Once W2s are in the mail, though, there is a risk of an employee’s confidential information being exposed. It’s rare, but we have had a few reports over the years of envelopes being opened while in transit.
We think the US Postal Service does a fantastic job delivering mail securely, but the risk of mail being opened by someone else isn’t zero. Now we have a way to add an extra layer of protection against identity theft.
You can offer better security on all of the employee tax forms we issue for you – W2, 1095, 1098, 1099 – simply by emailing your W2 representative (Jamie or Tressa) to add the masked option to your contract.
*P.S. We go to seriously great lengths to ensure the security of your data – that's why we’re SOC 2 Certified and PCI compliant. One of these days we’ll tell you all about what that really entails. It’s quite the process!
We’re always on top of adding any new security options as they become available, because securing your data is one of our top priorities. (Making your life easier is the highest priority! Securing your data is one of the ways we do it.)
Interested? Just email w2processing@thesolvgroup.com to have your contract updated to include SSN/TIN masking. We’ll handle the rest.