The Audrain Community Hospital was the number one employer in Mexico prior to ceasing hospital operations in March, 2022.  An email was sent to employees from Platinum Health Systems in September, 2022 telling them that the company terminated their positions at the Audrain and Callaway Community Hospitals. Before that employees were having money for state and federal taxes along with money withheld from their paychecks for insurance premiums. Several former employees have told their stories to the Mexico Ledger about this money for the insurance premiums not being sent where it was supposed to be, now they are wondering about their taxes.

Several questions have been raised. Were taxes paid from my wages to the proper places? How do I get a W-2 from Noble Health/Platinum Team Management?

Platinum Team Management did send W2s to employees who were paid by them from May through August 5, 2022.  Part of the payrolls were through Platinum Neighbors and part were through Noble Audrain or Noble Fulton.  Several W2s were incorrect, and Platinum has been notified that corrected W2s are needed.  The current owners of the hospital understand the importance of getting W2s to employees and are working to make that happen for the period January through March and paid from Noble People, LLC.

The Mexico Ledger reached out to a local CPA who wishes to remain anonymous and gave the following advice.

It is also recommended that if you feel like your W-2 is incorrect or need access to last paystubs, please reach out to your former supervisor for assistance in communication or reference the Facebook page for former Noble employees.

1. If you are waiting on your W-2 to file your tax return and you don't receive it by February 28, you can call the Internal Revenue Service (800-829-1040) to lodge a complaint. You will need to provide the business's name, address and phone number. The IRS will send a formal letter to your former employer requesting that the W-2 be sent to you.

2. You can receive a substitute W-2. Your employer is required to report W-2 information even if they go out of business. If the IRS was unable to get the information from your employer, you can create a substitute W-2 to file your taxes using form 4852. You must attach Form 4852 in place of a W-2 when sending in your tax return. If you file electronically, you will need to fill out an electronic version of the form and keep the paper copy for your records.
3. Use pay stub information. It is a good habit to keep at least your last paystub of the year until you receive the W-2 for that year. If you have this information, use it to complete Form 4852. If you don't have these items, you'll have to make a good faith estimate of your wages and withholding. Using Form 4582 could slow down the processing of a tax refund. 4. Get your prior year transcripts. You can request a free transcript of the information from the IRS by mailing or taxing Form 4506-T or by using the Get Transcript tool online.

A local CPA says the best advice to give a former employee of the hospital filing taxes this year is to reach out and talk to a professional for help on doing your taxes.