W-2 and tax information available in Workday beginning Friday

Metropolitan State University of Denver employees will be able to access their 2023 W-2 and tax information in Workday beginning Friday. However, employees should be aware of several minor changes on their W-2 tax forms.  

Change 1: Box D

The Control Number field in Box D identifies the employee’s unique record within the MSU Denver system. As the IRS does not require this number for a W-2 to be successfully filed, the control number is not an available option within the Workday system and is not editable.  

Change 2: Boxes 18-20

Previously, this series of boxes included information related to the City and County of Denver’s local tax. However, the local tax that MSU Denver employees pay is categorized as “OPT Occupational.” This is considered a “Head Tax,” meaning that (regardless of wages or income) it is a per-month tax that employers must withhold. In some cases, the employer will match or pay a portion to the locality as well.  

MSU Denver does not pay into Denver local tax since the University pays occupation taxes. Since Occupational Taxes are “Head” taxes and not “Income” taxes, Workday is meeting the requirement to provide the information by reporting this in Box 14. 

Change 3: Pertaining to employees who move out of state

Also new this tax cycle, an employee who moves out of state during the year will now receive two W-2 forms: one for Colorado and one for their new state. Previously, information for both states could be entered in boxes 15-17. However, within the Workday system the states are split into separate forms.