Prospective Employer Requesting Evidence of Salary

[cece]

I'm negotiating for a job with a City government and it is asking me to show a W-2 or other evidence of my past earnings. The offer will be conditioned on this evidence. (BTW - This surprised me. Is it the norm, nowadays?) As I have been a subcontractor for 8 years, of course, I do not have a current W-2. I do have some 1099s but not for all of the income I received (most it was done through the structure of my s-corporation and other corporations didn't issue a 1099 to my corporation). Are they within their legal rights to raise the bar even higher and demand to see my tax returns as evidence? My mother is a retired compensation expert and she doesn't think it is legal but I'm not sure. While I want the job, I don't want to go so far as to show them my personal and corporate tax returns because, frankly, the information is not relevant to the job being offered to me. Any advice? This one has thrown me for a loop. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Beth3]

Are they within their legal rights to raise the bar even higher and demand to see my tax returns as evidence? Yes. Your mother is mistaken.

It's not uncommon for an employer to require evidence of the wages the candidate stated they were currently earning. Sadly, job candidates inflating their present income in order to get an even higher job offer from the employer is fairly common.

The prospective employer has every right (and reason) to demand proof of the income you've claimed to be earning. They aren't demanding to see your tax returns, they're demanding to see proof if your earnings. If the only means you have of doing so is your tax returns, then that, frankly, is your problem. If you fail to provide the necessary proof of earnings, they are free to withdraw the job offer.