Paper Copy A of Form W-2 and its Form W-3 transmittal go to the Social Security Administration’s Direct Operations Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Where exactly to mail your W-2 and W-3 forms depends on the carrier: regular USPS mail, USPS Certified Mail, and private delivery services like FedEx or UPS each use a different address. For tax year 2026, everything must arrive on time for the February 1, 2027 deadline (January 31 falls on a Sunday).
USPS Regular Mail
If you’re sending your forms by regular first-class mail through the U.S. Postal Service, use:
Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18769-00011Social Security Administration. Paper Forms W-2 and Instructions
USPS Certified Mail
Certified Mail goes to the same facility but a different ZIP code, which routes it to the correct intake point:
Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18769-00021Social Security Administration. Paper Forms W-2 and Instructions
FedEx, UPS, and Other Private Carriers
Private carriers can’t deliver to a P.O. box, so the SSA publishes a separate street address for them. Include the attention line; without it the package can miss the right department.
Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
Attn: W-2 Process
1150 E. Mountain Drive
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702-79971Social Security Administration. Paper Forms W-2 and Instructions
One caveat about private carriers: only specific services from DHL Express, FedEx, and UPS qualify for the IRS’s “timely mailing treated as timely filing” rule. Pick a service that isn’t on the approved list, and if your package arrives after the deadline, the shipment date won’t protect you.2Internal Revenue Service. Private Delivery Services (PDS)
Corrections Go to a Different Address
If you’re mailing Form W-2c and Form W-3c to fix an already-filed return, don’t use the addresses above. Corrections have their own intake.
USPS regular mail:
Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
P.O. Box 3333
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18767-3333
Certified Mail or private delivery service:
Social Security Administration
Direct Operations Center
Attn: W-2c Process
1150 E. Mountain Drive
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702-79973Internal Revenue Service. General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026)
A W-3c has to accompany every W-2c you send, even for something as small as a misspelled name or a wrong Social Security number. Give the corrected W-2c to the affected employee as soon as you can.4Social Security Administration. Helpful Hints to Forms W-2c/W-3c Filing
Filing Deadline
The statutory deadline for filing Copy A of Form W-2 and Form W-3 with the SSA is January 31 of the year following the tax year. That same January 31 date is the deadline for getting employee copies out.5Social Security Administration. Deadline Dates to File W-2s
When January 31 falls on a weekend or legal holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day. For the 2026 tax year, January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, so the deadline becomes Monday, February 1, 2027.3Internal Revenue Service. General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026)
What the Paper Forms Have to Look Like
The SSA scans paper W-2s by machine, and the machines are strict about what they’ll read. Copy A is the version that goes to the SSA. The agency accepts both traditional red drop-out ink forms and laser-printed versions, but either way the forms must meet the specifications in IRS Publication 1141.1Social Security Administration. Paper Forms W-2 and Instructions
Fill Copy A in black ink only. Use 12-point Courier font when you can. Skip handwritten, script, and italic entries. Keep every entry inside its designated box, and don’t try to fix mistakes directly on the form.3Internal Revenue Service. General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026)
The trap to avoid: printing Copy A off a website on a regular office printer and mailing that in. The SSA only processes forms in the correct two-per-page Copy A format. A photocopy on plain white paper will not work.
When You Can’t Mail Them at All
Paper filing is off the table for larger filers. If you’re issuing a combined total of 10 or more information returns across all types (W-2s, 1099s, and other forms counted together), you have to file electronically through the SSA’s Business Services Online. Under that threshold, paper or electronic is your choice.6Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 801, Who Must File Information Returns Electronically The same 10-form threshold applies to corrections: file 10 or more W-2c forms in a calendar year and they must go through Business Services Online.4Social Security Administration. Helpful Hints to Forms W-2c/W-3c Filing
Even if you’re under the threshold and paper is allowed, electronic filing removes several of the risks that come with mailing: forms lost in transit, scanning rejections from the wrong font or ink, and no confirmation the SSA received anything. Business Services Online is free, and when you submit W-2 data through it the system generates the W-3 transmittal for you.3Internal Revenue Service. General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026)
One last boundary worth naming: the addresses above are for federal filing only. State and local W-2 filing goes to your state’s tax agency, often on the same January 31 deadline, and usually through a state portal rather than the mail. Don’t send state copies to Wilkes-Barre.