Make sure you have all the needed documents, including all your Forms W-2, before you file your 2011 tax return. You should receive an IRS Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from each of your employers. Employers have until Jan. 31, 2012 to issue your 2011 Form W-2 earnings statement.

If you haven’t received your W-2, follow these four steps:

1. Contact your employer If you have not received your W-2, contact your employer to inquire if and when the W-2 was mailed. If it was mailed, it may have been returned to the employer because of an incorrect or incomplete address. After contacting the employer, allow a reasonable amount of time for them to resend or issue the W-2.

Internationally certified coach, speaker and business development expert Meredith Elliott Powell will share her customized version of Mastering the Workplace in Southwestern Community College’s final career seminar of the semester.

The presentation will be Thursday, April 5, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Bradford Student Lounge on the Jackson Campus. “Meredith is known in the industry as a high energy, dynamic speaker who delivers.

She takes complex issues and makes them easy to understand and easy to implement. She will share tips on how to become the employee companies want to hire and must-know strategies to survive in any economy,” said Patty Kirkley, organizer of SCC career series.

EDC promotes growth of local business, economy.

The Macon County Economic Development Commission is gearing for the upcoming BizWeek 2012, which will be held April 9 to 12. BizWeek is a celebration of business, industry and entrepreneurship in Macon County.

“The Macon County EDC and our partners have several events planned during this celebration,” said Tommy Jenkins, Director of the Macon County EDC. “Each event is designed to show our appreciation for all our businesses, both large and small, that are part of the fabric of Macon County’s economic community.”

Some North Carolinians are in for a shock when they try to file their taxes. The IRS tells them that someone has already filed in their name—and has already claimed their refund.

Identity thieves are using stolen Social Security Numbers to file the fraudulent returns. Legitimate tax filers usually don’t know that their SSN is being misused until the IRS notifies them about the problem.