What form would I use to record my volunteering?

Can W2 be regarded as income tax record when going for a Visa interview?

• Recently I apply for F1 US visa outside US(need to interview)  and I worked in US for one year. They ask for income tax record, so I think record for me is only W2 form which contain my tax and payment. Is it correct I can use W2 form as income tax record?

• Answer:

  No. A W2 is not proof that you have filed taxes. It contains only a record of how much you were paid by that particular employer and how much was withheld. It doesn't prove that you actually filed your taxes and paid any additional amount that you might have owed over what was withheld. What DOS will want to see is your IRS transcript: http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript. Sometimes they will accept copies of the 1040 instead. Sometimes people mistakenly think that because taxes are withheld from their W2, they have paid taxes and they don't have to do anything else. This is completely wrong. The amount of money withheld from your payroll check is based on information you provided to your employer, and isn't necessarily the amount of taxes you actually owe. It's just an estimate. You still have to file taxes every year by April. You may end up getting some money back, or you may end up having to pay more. If you didn't file taxes for the time you were working in the US, you can still fix it. Contact the IRS or an accountant to do a late filing. If you end up owing more than you can pay at one time, the IRS can set up a payment plan for you. This payment plan will be accepted by DOS or USCIS as evidence that you are in compliance with paying your taxes.