The IRS has issued final regulations that permit employers to voluntarily truncate Social Security Numbers (SSNs) on copies of Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, furnished to employees. An SSN may appear in the form of a Truncated Taxpayer Identification Number (TTIN), which replaces the first five digits of the SSN with Xs or asterisks. However, the final rules do not allow truncation on any return, statement, or other document that is required to be filed with the Social Security Administration (SSA). The final regulations, which adopt without substantive changes regulations proposed in 2017, apply to returns, statements, and other documents required to be filed or furnished after December 31, 2020.
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