W-2 Information

Accessing Your W-2

Employee Self Service (ESS) access is available to former employees through April 30th of the year following termination. For example, employees terminated in 2024 have access to ESS through April 30, 2025. If you had consented to receive your W-2 electronically, you can log into ESS and view it. If you termed before January 1 of last year or it is after April 30th of the year following your termination, please contact NDSU Payroll Services at ndsu.payroll@ndsu.edu

To view your W-2:

  1. Access Employee Self-Service by going to:  https://www.ndsu.edu/payroll/ and click on Employee Self-Service (green box on the right side of screen).  If you have trouble logging into Employee Self-Service, call the Help Desk at 701-231-8685 Option 1.
  2. Once you have successfully logged into the Employee Self-Service system (If Employee Self Service does not display in the upper left corner, click on the name of the page listed there and select Employee Self Service from the drop-down).
  3. Click on the Payroll tile
    1. Click on W-2/W-2c on the left
    2. Click View W-2/W-2c Forms
    3. Click View Form
  4. To view prior W-2s, change the Tax Year at the top of the page

W-2 Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change my tax withholdings?

Making changes to your W-4 tax withholdings can be done through Employee Self Service.
Please note, the form must be opened in Adobe rather than a separate browser window in order to submit the form. Steps on how to do this are below for your reference.

Making the change in Employee Self-Service (ESS):
  • Access Employee Self-Service by going to: https://www.ndsu.edu/hr/ and clicking on Employee Self-Service (green box on the right side of screen).  If you have trouble logging into Employee Self-Service, call the Help Desk at 701-231-8685 Option 1
  • Log into Employee Self-Servicettps://ndusnam.ndus.edu/nidp/saml2/sso?id=appsian-hcm&sid=0&option=credential&sid=0
    (If Employee Self Service does not show up in the middle of the dark blue strip toward the top of the page, click on the name of the page listed there and select Employee Self Service from the drop-down)
  • Click on the Payroll Tile
  • Click on Tax Withholding tile
  • Click on the Federal tax box to update your Federal W-4 or State withholding to update your state W-4
  • Click on the arrow on the right side of the Federal Withholding Allowance Certificate box
  • Review any messages that pop up in a window for additional information regarding your W-4
  • Open the PDF form that appears, complete and click submit button at bottom of form

Opening the form in Adobe (this works best in Google Chrome):

Using Google Chrome, follow these instructions to open in Adobe:

  • Click on the 3 stacked dots (menu) in Chrome
  • Click on settings from the drop-down menu
  • Scroll to the bottom and click the arrow on advanced to open advanced settings
  • Click on the arrow to the far right of the content settings
  • Click on PDF documents
  • Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome needs to be turned on (it will be blue), otherwise it just opens a printable document with no submit button
What if I have questions about my child’s NDSU W-2?

Unfortunately, we cannot provide any information to the parent/guardian. Ask that the employee reach out to us instead

The amount in Box 1 on my W-2 doesn’t match my last paystub?

To balance the paystub to the W-2, take the total YTD earnings minus any Health and Wellness Credits (HWC) YTD Earnings minus the Before-tax deductions YTD amount. This should equal the amount listed in Box 1.   

Why did I get two W-2s or why do I see two W-2s?

There were wages reported to two states in applicable year. Either you had an NDW-R for part of the year or you physically worked in two states during the year.

Most states require the income to be taxed in the state where the work was physically performed. If you have further questions regarding the NDW-R, please contact the Payroll office directly. 701-231-8961 or ndsu.payroll@ndsu.edu.

Why is my W-2 blank?

There are two W-2s, one with the total federal wages for the year and one state wages reported, the second W-2 has the other state wages reported on it.

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