W2 not aligned on preprinted forms

Good day, jens9.

I'll help you fix the W-2 form alignment in QuickBooks Desktop.

Note that all tax forms in QuickBooks Desktop require a PDF viewer when printing. Before printing your W-2s pre-printed forms, make sure to perform a print test on blank paper to check if the alignment is correct with the boxes.

You can follow these steps:

1. Choose Employees, then click Payroll Tax Forms and W-2s and Process Payroll Forms.
2. Click File Forms, then pick the Annual Form W-2/W-3 - Wage and Tax Statement/Transmittal and click the Create Form button.
3. Choose either All Employees or Employee's Last Name.
4. Enter a filing period in the Year field, then click OK.
5. Hit Print/E-file.
6. In the Print W-2 and W-3 Forms window, then click Print Test.

If it still doesn't align, you can follow these to correct the alignment:

1. Click Align in the W-2 and W-3 forms window, then in the Pre-printed forms alignment page, then adjust the alignment. 
2. Hit Print Test to check the result of your alignment.
3. If the alignment is already correct and accurate, click OK.

Here are some resources for additional reference on resolving printing issues in QBDT:

• Process, print, and save QuickBooks Desktop Payroll tax forms.
• Resolve printing issues.

That should get you going. If you have any other W-2 concerns, do let me know. I'll be here to keep helping.

I am using preprinted forms with one w2 on top and one w2 on the bottom.  ( I know the forms are good because they line up exactly with last year’s preprinted forms.)  The bottom W2 is lined up perfectly but the top one is not.  If I change the alignment as you suggested, it will throw off the alignment of the good bottom one.  
     I have called support only to be bounced around and then finally disconnected after 45 min with the last representative.

This is the main reason I promote printing them on plain paper. There's no alignment issues using that method. Much easier.

UPDATE:  None of the suggested solutions worked.  However, when I printed on a different printer, it lined right up.  Obviously, it is something with the printer setup.  (It worked fine last year.) 

What's the model of the problem printer? Posting it here may help others with the same or similar printer.

Also, were the W-2's on the problem printer too close together vertically or too far apart?  In other words, when the top one was aligned, was the text for the bottom one printing too high or too low? 

If too high, I suspect the PDF image used to print from was being scaled down to fit. It's a common behavior when printing PDF's, which is why I think using them is a bad solution for printing forms - especially when trying to print on preprinted forms.

I am having the same problem as well. We are using the same printer as last year and obviously the preprinted forms are no different than last year either. If you tweek the top the bottom gets messed up and vice versa. We ran the updates for the payroll as well. We are looking for a solution. 

Hello there, @tpcox.

I'm here to get the help you need so you can align your 1099 forms without having issues.

We can run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic tool from the Tool Hub. This app run a quick repair on your program. Please follow these steps:

1. Close QuickBooks.
2. Download the most recent version (1.5.0.0) of the QuickBooks Tool Hub. Save the file somewhere you can easily find it (like your Downloads folder or your Windows desktop).
3. Open the file you downloaded (QuickBooksToolHub.exe).
4. Follow the on-screen steps to install and agree to the terms and conditions.
5. When the install finishes, double-click the icon on your Windows desktop to open the tool hub.
6. From the QuickBooks Tool Hub, select Program Problems.
7. Select Quick Fix my Program.
8. Start QuickBooks Desktop and open your data file.

For more troubleshooting steps, visit this link: Fix common problems and errors with the QuickBooks Desktop Tool Hub.

In case you'll encounter some issues when printing in the future, here;s an article that you can visit for some steps on how to fix: Resolve printing issues.

Please let me know how things go on your end. I want to ensure this gets resolved for you. Take care.

I am using preprinted forms with one w2 on top and one w2 on the bottom.  ( I know the forms are good because they line up exactly with last year’s preprinted forms.)  The bottom W2 is lined up but the top one is not.  If I change the alignment as you suggested, it will throw off the alignment of the good bottom one.  
     I have called support only to be bounced around for 2 hours and then finally disconnected after 1 hour  with the last representative.

Thanks for keeping us updated, @David086.

Let me provide additional information about W-@ form alignment.

You can edit the text's printing alignment and run a print test to see how it looks. To avoid wasting forms, you can take the test on a blank sheet of paper. Then compare the actual print to the form to see if the last line was printed in the appropriate box.

In addition, When printing form W-2, you might want to make Adobe Acrobat Reader your default PDF viewer. You can make the necessary changes from your Control Panel.

If you'll experience the same issue, I highly recommend contacting Payroll Support. They have more capabilities to look into your account and look into this further. They can also start a new investigation, and once it's started, you'll be notified by email of any changes or progress.

Feel free to keep in touch. Leave a reply if you have other concerns about payroll forms or QuickBooks. Take the best care!

@Mich_S Thanks so much.  You are the first one to suggest that after me spending over 2 hours on the phone yesterday and getting disconnected with not help.  

I made  Adobe Acrobat Reader my default PDF viewer.  Am I am now all set.

Thank you so much.

If anyone is having this issue, the solution that ultimately worked for us was updating the printer driver manually. Even if the printer was installed not so long ago, the driver automatically selected for some reason was a Windows driver from 2016. From the manufacturer's (Brother) website, we downloaded a 2021 printer driver and forced that one to be used. Before this, the W-2 was misaligned with the top and bottom being out of sync. If the top was adjusted correctly, the bottom would be unaligned. And visa versa. Long story short, make sure that Windows hasn't changed / selected an old driver for the printer rather than the updated manufacturer's driver. 

i change the numbers for alignment and it changes nothing

I am also having issues aligning preprinted forms to quickbooks. So with default when i go to print the top part is not aligned and its all moved down and the bottom part is correct. 

Once i align the top part and i print the top is good but now the bottom part is bad. how can i fix that? does it have to be aligned perfectly to be printed and given to employees and government? 

thanks

We had the issue of the preprinted W2 for not being aligned correctly. The bottom was correct, but the top was off. Finally figured out the problem was in the scale setting in our printer. It has to be set to actual size, not printable area. Maybe this will help somebody else.

I appreciate you for joining in on this thread, ggomez1.

I'll share some insights with you. There could be several causes for your QuickBooks Desktop printing issues. These are as follows: 

1. Ensure that your QuickBooks is up to date.
2. Connect the printer to your computer.
3. You've got the most recent printer driver installed.
4. Your printer has no error messages or warning lights.

From here, we can perform some troubleshooting steps to fix this issue. First, let's print from another program. Here's how: 

1. Select Start and browse to Notepad.
2. Enter some text and go to File, then select Print.
3. Select the correct printer and select Print.

Then, you'll want to test the printer and ensure that it is set up correctly. You can follow these steps:

1. Turn off the printer, restart your computer, and then turn the printer back on.
2. Make sure you load the printer paper correctly.
3. Click Start, select Control Panel, then double-click Printers and Faxes.
4. If the printer shows Offline, right-click the printer and choose Use Printer Online.
5. Double-click the printer and if there are print jobs displayed in the queue, click Printer, then Cancel All Documents.
6. Close the window.
7. Right-click the printer, select Properties, and then choose Print Test Page.

For more details and the next steps, refer to this article: Fix printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

You can also visit this article to learn how to get different QuickBooks Desktop tools to help fix problems and errors: Fix common problems and errors with the QuickBooks Desktop Tool Hub.

Thanks for dropping by. Don't hesitate to post here again. Stay safe!

I have worked on this ALL day!  PLEASE help.    The top is not aligned the bottom is.  My printer is working great on EVERYTHING but will NOT align these W2s

PLEASE HELP!   I have tried and tried!     These W2s will not align

Hello there, @Kim229. Welcome to the Community.

I've come to guide you with some troubleshooting steps so you can align your preprinted W-2s and fix printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) Payroll.

You'll first have to make Adobe Acrobat Reader your default PDF viewer. To do this, here's how:

1. Go to the Windows Start menu.
2. Select the Settings icon.
3. Click Apps.
4. Select Default apps.
5. Scroll down until you find .pdf and select its default program.
6. In the list, select Adobe Acrobat Reader (or any PDF viewer you've installed).
7. Select Switch anyway.

Next, you'll have to make sure the scale setting of your printer is set to the actual size, not the printable area. Then, print a test on a blank paper to check the alignment.

Once everything is all set, go ahead and print your W-2 forms. You can refer to this article for the complete guide: Print your W-2 and W-3 forms.

In case the printing issue persists, continue troubleshooting by following the recommended solutions in this article: Fix printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

If you have any other printing and W-2 concerns or questions about managing payroll transactions in QBDT Payroll, let me know in the comments below. I'm more than happy to help. Take care, @Kim229. 

I can't get my 2022 W-2's to align with my preprinted forms. I know how to align it but if I get the top form right, the bottom section is way off. This is a glitch and needs to be fixed asap. I have the latest payroll update. I've been doing this forever, so it's not that I'm a newbie.

Thank you for visiting the QuickBooks Community, Les47. I can see how important it is to have the 2022 W-2s match the preprinted forms. Also, I appreciate you for performing steps to fix the issue. I'll be sharing troubleshooting information and point you to the right support team to assist you further on his alignment issue.

There are numerous reasons you might have trouble printing your W-2 from QuickBooks Desktop but there are also some solutions to fix them. Since having the latest payroll update didn't fix the problem, you'll have to make sure to update your QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release. This is to keep your QuickBooks up-to-date so you have the latest features and product improvements.

Additionally, I recommend opening the article mentioned above about fixing printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop and following the solutions shared on it. This allows you to correct the alignment of your W2.

However, if the issue persists, I suggest contacting our QuickBooks Desktop Support Team. They have the tools to pull up your account in a secure environment and deeply investigate the cause of why you can't get 2022 W-2s to align with your preprinted forms.

Lastly, you may refer to this article to view various common W-2 information and how it works in QBDT so you’re always prepared for tax season: Get answers to your W-2 questions.

Please let me know if you have more questions regarding printing W2. I'll be around to help you out some more ,Les47. Have a good day ahead.

I changed my .pdf viewer to Adobe Acrobat and now mine is working!  Thank you!!  DO NOT USE MICROSOFT EDGE  when trying to print, it does not align properly! 

I had the same problem using the Office Depot forms.  I was printing two W2s per page.  My test print was at least 3 lines above the preprinted boxes on the forms.  I hit the align in the Quickbooks dialogue box.  It gave me the option to align horizontally or vertically.  For the Up/Down, each line was 12pt.  I put 36 in the up box, and it aligned perfectly.  (At first I had put the 36 in the down box, since I thought it would move the printing down.) In my case the Up box was the right selection.  This corrected the position of both W2s on the box.  I hope this helps someone.  I wasted a lot of time trying to research it, then stopped to pray and was immediately shown what to do.  I am sorry it took me so long to ask the one who knows all.  

Update Adobe!! Or download and use it for PDF printing.

QB's was updated, changing alignments made it worse. Wasted time calling QB help desk. My computer was defaulted to Microsoft Edge PDF and it did not work for printing the W2's no matter what I did.