W-2 to Excel converter
Upload W-2s as PDFs, scans or photos. Get one row per form with the employer, the employee and every wage and withholding box, in a CSV that opens in Excel.
First 10 pages free. No card needed. Only the last four digits of an SSN are ever read.
W-2 boxes, and the column each one becomes
Every W-2 becomes one row. The columns keep the box numbers, so you can check the export against the form without a key.
| Box | What it is | CSV column | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| The form and the people on it | |||
| Top | Tax year | tax_year | 2025 |
| c | Employer's name | employer_name | Kramer Mfg LLC |
| b | Employer identification number, kept in full | employer_ein | 84-1937265 |
| e | Employee's name | employee_name | Dana Reyes |
| a | Last four digits of the SSN, and nothing more | employee_ssn_last4 | 4521 |
| Federal wages and withholding | |||
| 1 | Wages, tips, other compensation | wages | 71,250.00 |
| 2 | Federal income tax withheld | federal_tax_withheld | 8,960.00 |
| 3 | Social security wages | social_security_wages | 77,250.00 |
| 4 | Social security tax withheld | social_security_tax_withheld | 4,789.50 |
| 5 | Medicare wages and tips | medicare_wages | 77,250.00 |
| 6 | Medicare tax withheld | medicare_tax_withheld | 1,120.13 |
| State | |||
| 15 | State | state | OR |
| 16 | State wages, tips, etc. | state_wages | 71,250.00 |
| 17 | State income tax | state_tax_withheld | 5,486.00 |
The check LedgerBox runs on every W-2
Social security tax is a flat rate, so box 4 should be 6.2% of box 3. LedgerBox checks that on every form.
Why box 1 and box 3 are different
Money you put into a 401(k) comes out of box 1 wages but stays in box 3 social security wages. On many correct W-2s the two boxes do not match, so LedgerBox reads each box as printed and never copies one into another.
Only the last four digits of the SSN
Even when a W-2 prints the full number, LedgerBox reads only the last four digits. There is no field for a full SSN, so it never lands in your data or your exports. The employer's EIN is a business number and stays complete.
How to convert a W-2 to Excel
Upload
Drop W-2 PDFs, scans or phone photos, up to 20 files at once. A page with Copy B, Copy C and Copy 2 of the same form counts as one W-2.
Check
LedgerBox reads every box and checks box 4 against box 3. Look over any form marked to check.
Download
Download a CSV with one row per form. Select a stack of W-2s and export them as one table, with a column naming each file.
W-2 to Excel
The CSV opens in Excel with one column per box, so you can sort, total and compare a client's W-2s in one sheet.
CSV export detailsW-2 to CSV
Columns are named for each box, such as wages and federal_tax_withheld, ready for tax software imports or your own workpapers.
CSV export detailsW-2 OCR for scans and photos
Scanned and photographed W-2s are read with OCR. A box that cannot be read is left empty and flagged, never guessed. A printed 0.00 stays 0.00.
What is OCR?Bulk W-2 data extraction
Upload up to 20 files at a time during tax season. Each form is one row, so a client's W-2s, or a whole office's, become one table.
LedgerBox for firmsW-2 data as JSON
Get every box as JSON, or send W-2s through the API and SDK on any paid plan.
API and SDKPay stubs and 1099s too
Pay stubs and 1099 forms have their own readers, with their own boxes, fields and checks.
1099 formsWho converts W-2s with LedgerBox
Tax preparers
Turn every client's W-2s into one sheet before you start the return, and catch a box 4 that does not match box 3.
LedgerBox for firmsLenders and underwriters
Get an applicant's wages and withholding from two years of W-2s into rows you can review.
LedgerBox for lendersBookkeepers
Pull W-2 totals into a spreadsheet to compare with payroll reports at year end.
Convert pay stubsPeople with more than one job
Put every W-2 from the year in one place to check your totals before you file.
Start with 10 free pagesIs it safe to upload a W-2?
W-2 conversion pricing
10 pagesfree, no card
- Share LedgerBox with a colleague200 free pages
- Starter, 60 pages a month$25 a month
- Pro, from 640 pages a monthfrom $135 a month
W-2 conversion questions
How do I convert a W-2 to Excel?
Upload the W-2, check the boxes LedgerBox reads, and download the CSV. Excel opens it with one column per box.
Can I convert a W-2 PDF to CSV?
Yes. Each W-2 becomes one CSV row with columns for the tax year, employer, employee and boxes 1 to 6 and 15 to 17.
Which W-2 boxes are extracted?
The tax year, boxes a (last four digits only), b, c and e, boxes 1 to 6 for wages and federal, social security and Medicare tax, and boxes 15 to 17 for the state.
Does it read box 12 codes?
No. Boxes 7 to 14, including the box 12 codes, and the local boxes 18 to 20 are not part of the export.
What happens to my Social Security number?
Only the last four digits are read, even when the form prints the full number. A full SSN has no field to land in, so it never enters your data or exports.
Can it read a scanned or photographed W-2?
Yes. Scans and JPG, PNG and HEIC photos are read with OCR. A box that cannot be read is flagged instead of guessed.
Can I convert many W-2s at once?
Yes. Upload up to 20 files at a time, then export them together as one CSV with one row per form and a column naming each file.
Why are box 1 and box 3 different?
Pre-tax savings such as a 401(k) come out of box 1 but not box 3. The boxes often differ on correct forms, so each one is read as printed.
What if my W-2 lists more than one state?
The first state row in boxes 15 to 17 is read, and the other states are noted so you can add them.
Is my W-2 data safe?
Files are encrypted in transit and at rest, our security is audited by a third party, and your documents are not used to train AI models. Delete a file at any time.