IRIS W-2G CSV template and checker
Form W-2G, Certain Gambling Winnings, can be filed in the IRIS Taxpayer Portal with a CSV upload. Its template has 53 columns, 16 of them required, including 17 form box columns. Drop your file below to check it against every IRS rule, or read the column list further down.
Free. Checks every column against the IRS formatting guidelines.
2What the check found
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Download the blank W-2G header (CSV) All IRIS templates
Built from the IRS TY2025 Template Formatting Guidelines, the latest posted. IRIS checks the header row against the template you download inside the portal, so upload with that one. Columns marked required are starred in the IRS guidelines.
Upload limits for every IRIS CSV
- Up to 250 records per file, header not counted, and files of 100KB or less.
- One form type and one tax year per file.
- Save as CSV UTF-8, and do not reopen and re-save the file in Excel.
- Leave money cells empty instead of 0.00, and enter Y or N in every checkbox column.
All 53 columns
| Col. | Field | Required | Example | Formatting rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Form Type | W-2G | ||
| B | Tax Year | 2023 | ||
| C | Payer TIN Type | Yes | SSN | Must be entered as "SSN" and "EIN" |
| D | Payer Taxpayer ID Number | Yes | 123-23-1234 | Digits and dashes only Business TINs (EIN) must be in XX-XXXXXXX format Individual TINs (SSN) must be in XXX-XX-XXXX format |
| E | Payer Name Type | Yes | B | Must be entered as "B" for Business Name or "I" for Individual |
| F | Payer Business or Entity Name Line 1 | John Finch Company | Required if Name Type = "B" Length: Max 40 characters May only contain alphabet letters, numbers, blank space (), and the following special characters: hyphen (-), pound (#), parentheses (), ampersand (&), and apostrophe (') May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| G | Payer Business or Entity Name Line 2 | Length: Max 40 characters May only contain alphabet letters, numbers, blank space (), and the following special characters: hyphen (-), pound (#), parentheses (), ampersand (&), apostrophe ('), slash (/), and percent (%) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | ||
| H | Payer First Name | John | Required if Name Type = "I" Required if Last Name is filled out Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| I | Payer Middle Name | James | Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| J | Payer Last Name (Surname) | Finch | Required if Name Type = "I" Required if First Name is filled out Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| K | Payer Suffix | Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | ||
| L | Payer Country | Yes | US | Must be entered according to their designated country abbreviation Link to country abbreviations: https://www.irs.gov/e-file- providers/foreign-country-code-listing-for-modernized-e-file |
| M | Payer Address Line 1 | Yes | 1234 Midway Rd | Length: Max 35 characters May only be alpha-numeric characters and the following special characters: hyphen ( - ) slash ( / ) space ( ) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces |
| N | Payer Address Line 2 | Length: Max 35 characters May only be alpha-numeric characters and the following special characters: hyphen ( - ) slash ( / ) space ( ) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | ||
| O | Payer City/Town | Yes | Dallas | Length: Max 40 characters May only be alphabet characters and the following special characters: space ( ) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces |
| P | Payer State/Province/Territory | Yes | Texas (TX) | [Domestic] Must be entered as their 2 letter abbreviation Link to 2 letter abbreviation: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs- utl/zip code and state abbreviations.pdf _ _ _ _ [Foreign] Length: Max 17 characters Alpha-numeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) and spaces only May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces |
| Q | Payer ZIP/Postal Code | Yes | 12309 | [Domestic] Length: Exactly 5, 9 or 12 characters Digits only [Foreign] Length: Max 9 characters Alpha-numeric characters only (A-Z, 0-9) |
| R | Payer Phone Type | D | Must be entered as "D" for Domestic or "I" for International | |
| S | Payer Phone | 2145555555 | Domestic Phone must be in one of the following formats: 1231231234, 123-123-1234, (123) 123-1234 International Phone must be 15 digits or less and may only include the "+" symbol at the beginning | |
| T | Winner TIN Type | SSN | Required if Taxpayer ID Number is entered. Must be entered as "SSN", "EIN", "ATIN", "ITIN", "QI-EIN", or "UND" | |
| U | Winner Taxpayer ID Number | 123-23-1234 | Business TINs (EIN, QI-EIN) must be in XX-XXXXXXX format Individual TINs (SSN, ITIN, ATIN) must be in XXX-XX-XXXX format Undeterminable TINs (UND) must be in XXXXXXXXX format | |
| V | Winner Name Type | Yes | B | Must be entered as "B" for Business Name or "I" for Individual |
| W | Winner Business or Entity Name Line 1 | ABC123 | Required if Name Type = "B" Length: Max 40 characters May only contain alphabet letters, numbers, blank space (), and the following special characters: hyphen (-), pound (#), parentheses (), ampersand (&), and apostrophe (') May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| X | Winner Business or Entity Name Line 2 | Length: Max 40 characters May only contain alphabet letters, numbers, blank space (), and the following special characters: hyphen (-), pound (#), parentheses (), ampersand (&), apostrophe ('), slash (/), and percent (%) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | ||
| Y | Winner First Name | Sarah | Required if Name Type = "I" Required if Last Name is filled out Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| Z | Winner Middle Name | Jasmin | Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| AA | Winner Last Name (Surname) | Finch | Required if Name Type = "I" Required if First Name is filled out Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | |
| AB | Winner Suffix | Length: Max 20 characters May only contain alphabet letters, blanks ( ) and hyphens (-) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | ||
| AC | WInner Country | Yes | US | Must be entered according to their designated country abbreviation Link to country abbreviations: https://www.irs.gov/e-file- providers/foreign-country-code-listing-for-modernized-e-file |
| AD | Winner Address Line 1 | Yes | 1234 Midway Rd | Length: Max 35 characters May only be alpha-numeric characters and the following special characters: hyphen ( - ) slash ( / ) space ( ) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces |
| AE | Winner Address Line 2 | Length: Max 35 characters May only be alpha-numeric characters and the following special characters: hyphen ( - ) slash ( / ) space ( ) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces | ||
| AF | Winner City/Town | Yes | Dallas | Length: Max 40 characters May only be alphabet characters and the following special characters: space ( ) May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces |
| AG | Winner State/Province/Territory | Yes | TX | [Domestic] Must be entered as their 2 letter abbreviation Link to 2 letter abbreviation: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs- utl/zip code and state abbreviations.pdf _ _ _ _ [Foreign] Length: Max 17 characters Alpha-numeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) and spaces only May not contain leading, trailing, and adjacent spaces |
| AH | Winner ZIP/Postal Code | Yes | 12309 | [Domestic] Length: Exactly 5, 9 or 12 characters Digits only [Foreign] Length: Max 9 characters Alpha-numeric characters only (A-Z, 0-9) |
| AI | Office Code | 1234 | Length: Exactly 4 digits | |
| AJ | Box 1 - Reportable Winnings | 1000.50 | $0 to $999,999,999,999,999 Cannot be negative Digits only except 1 decimal is allowed Must have no more than two digits after the decimal. Check for long numbers in money amount fields that may have been formatted in scientific notation. For example: 1.045E+5. | |
| AK | Box 2 - Date Won | Yes | 03/01/22 | Length: Max 8 characters Digits only Date field must be in MM/DD/YYYY format |
| AL | Box 3 - Type of Wager | Yes | 1 | Length: Max 1 character Must be entered as "1" for Horse race track "2" for Dog race track "3" for Jai-alai "4" for State-conducted lottery "5" for Keno "6" for Bingo "7" for Slot machines "8" for Poker winnings "9" for Any other type of gambling winnings |
| AM | Box 4 - Federal Income Tax Withheld | 1001 | $0 to $999,999,999,999,999 Cannot be negative Digits only except 1 decimal is allowed Must have no more than two digits after the decimal. Check for long numbers in money amount fields that may have been formatted in scientific notation. For example: 1.045E+5. | |
| AN | Box 5 - Transaction | Example123 | Length: Max 10 characters Should only include alphanumeric values and certain special characters and may not include leading or trailing spaces, or more than 1 space in a row. Allowed special characters include the following: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < > = ? @ { | } ~ £ § Á É Í Ñ Ó × Ú Ü á é í ñ ó ú ü | |
| AO | Box 6 - Race | Example123 | Length: Max 10 characters Should only include alphanumeric values and certain special characters and may not include leading or trailing spaces, or more than 1 space in a row. Allowed special characters include the following: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < > = ? @ { | } ~ £ § Á É Í Ñ Ó × Ú Ü á é í ñ ó ú ü | |
| AP | Box 7 - Winnings From Identical Wagers | 1001 | $0 to $999,999,999,999,999 Cannot be negative Digits only except 1 decimal is allowed Must have no more than two digits after the decimal. Check for long numbers in money amount fields that may have been formatted in scientific notation. For example: 1.045E+5. | |
| AQ | Box 8 - Cashier | Example123 | Length: Max 10 characters Should only include alphanumeric values and certain special characters and may not include leading or trailing spaces, or more than 1 space in a row. Allowed special characters include the following: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < > = ? @ { | } ~ £ § Á É Í Ñ Ó × Ú Ü á é í ñ ó ú ü | |
| AR | Box 10 - Window | Example123 | Length: Max 10 characters Should only include alphanumeric values and certain special characters and may not include leading or trailing spaces, or more than 1 space in a row. Allowed special characters include the following: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < > = ? @ { | } ~ £ § Á É Í Ñ Ó × Ú Ü á é í ñ ó ú ü | |
| AS | Box 11 - First Identification no. | Example123 | Length: Max 40 characters Should only include alphanumeric values and certain special characters and may not include leading or trailing spaces, or more than 1 space in a row. Allowed special characters include the following: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < > = ? @ { | } ~ £ § Á É Í Ñ Ó × Ú Ü á é í ñ ó ú ü | |
| AT | Box 12 - Second Identification no. | Example123 | Length: Max 40 characters Should only include alphanumeric values and certain special characters and may not include leading or trailing spaces, or more than 1 space in a row. Allowed special characters include the following: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < > = ? @ { | } ~ £ § Á É Í Ñ Ó × Ú Ü á é í ñ ó ú ü | |
| AU | State/Payer’s State | VA | Length: Max 2 characters Must be entered as their 2 letter abbreviation. Link to 2 letter abbreviation: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs- | |
| AV | Box 13 - State/Payer’s State Identification Number | Example123 | Length: Max 24 characters Must be alpha-numeric characters. | |
| AW | Box 14 - State Winnings | 1000.5 | $0 to $999,999,999,999,999 Cannot be negative Digits only except 1 decimal is allowed Must have no more than two digits after the decimal. Check for long numbers in money amount fields that may have been formatted in scientific notation. For example: 1.045E+5. | |
| AX | Box 15 - State Income Tax Withheld | 1000.5 | $0 to $999,999,999,999,999 Cannot be negative Digits only except 1 decimal is allowed Must have no more than two digits after the decimal. Check for long numbers in money amount fields that may have been formatted in scientific notation. For example: 1.045E+5. | |
| AY | Box 16 - Local Winnings | 1000.5 | $0 to $999,999,999,999,999 Cannot be negative Digits only except 1 decimal is allowed Must have no more than two digits after the decimal. Check for long numbers in money amount fields that may have been formatted in scientific notation. For example: 1.045E+5. | |
| AZ | Box 17 - Local Income Tax Withheld | 1000.5 | $0 to $999,999,999,999,999 Cannot be negative Digits only except 1 decimal is allowed Must have no more than two digits after the decimal. Check for long numbers in money amount fields that may have been formatted in scientific notation. For example: 1.045E+5. | |
| BA | Box 18 - Name of Locality | Example123 | Length: Max 50 characters Should only include alphanumeric values and certain special characters and may not include leading or trailing spaces, or more than 1 space in a row. Allowed special characters include the following: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < > = ? @ { | } ~ £ § Á É Í Ñ Ó × Ú Ü á é í ñ ó ú ü |
What the checker does
- Header: reports missing, extra or reordered columns compared with the W-2G template.
- Safe fixes: trims stray spaces, writes amounts as plain numbers, leaves $0 cells empty, fills empty Y/N boxes with N, adds dashes to TINs from the TIN type, restores ZIP leading zeros, converts state names to codes and rewrites dates.
- Errors to fix yourself: required columns left empty, values over the length limit, codes that are not in the allowed list, invalid TINs, ZIP codes and dates.
- Split: writes files of up to 250 records and under 100KB, keeping your header row.
Date columns: the IRS guidelines ask for MM/DD/YYYY but also say "Max 8 characters, Digits only". The checker accepts both MM/DD/YYYY and MMDDYYYY. If the portal rejects one, try the other.
For 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC, the main IRIS CSV tool goes further: it builds the template from QuickBooks, Excel or FIRE files.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I download the official W-2G CSV template?
Sign in to the IRIS Taxpayer Portal, open Upload CSV with Form Data, choose W-2G and the tax year, and select Download. The formatting guidelines are linked in the FAQ box on the same page.
How many W-2G records can one CSV hold?
Up to 250 records per file, not counting the header, and the file must be 100KB or less. The portal then submits at most 100 forms at a time.
What does "required" mean here?
The IRS guidelines mark these columns with an asterisk. Other columns can still become required by a rule, for example a TIN type when a TIN is entered.
Sources
- IRS: TY2025 IRIS CSV Template Formatting Guidelines (ZIP)
- IRS Publication 5717, IRIS Taxpayer Portal User Guide (Rev. 9-2026)
Last reviewed November 1, 2026.