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Your PetSmart W2 is available through ADP at my.adp.com. The registration code is petm-pets. That code is the key to everything. Whether you’re a current associate, a former employee, a groomer, a dog trainer, or a PetsHotel worker, the W2 process runs through the same ADP system with that same code.
Here’s the entire process laid out sequentially, from setting up your account to filing your taxes.
Phase 1: Get into ADP (before tax season if possible)
The single biggest W2 headache at PetSmart is people waiting until they need their W2 to set up ADP access for the first time. Do this early.
If you already have an ADP account: Go to my.adp.com, log in, and skip to Phase 2.
If you’ve never registered with ADP:
Go to my.adp.com and click Register. You’ll need the PetSmart registration code: petm-pets (all lowercase, hyphen in the middle). You’ll also need your personal information for identity verification: Social Security number, date of birth, and the personal details ADP has on file from PetSmart’s payroll records.
Create your username and password, set up security questions, and you’re in. The whole process takes about five minutes if everything matches.
If registration fails: The most common reason is a mismatch between the personal information you’re entering and what PetSmart has in ADP. If your legal name changed, or if your address in PetSmart’s system is different from what you’re entering, the verification can reject you. Contact PetSmart’s HR Shared Services at 1-866-263-8411 or email hrsharedservices@petsmart.com to sort out the mismatch.
Phase 2: Navigate to your W2
Once you’re logged into ADP:
Navigate to Pay in the main menu. Look for Tax Statements or W-2. Select the tax year you need. Your W2 should be available to view as a PDF, download, and print.
ADP keeps multiple years of tax documents, so even if you need a W2 from two or three years ago, it should still be accessible through the same path.
Phase 3: Verify the numbers
Before you hand your W2 to your tax software or accountant, spend two minutes checking the basics.
What to check | Where on the W2 | What to look for |
Your name and SSN | Top of form | Exact match to your Social Security card |
Total wages | Box 1 | Should roughly match your final pay stub YTD, minus pre-tax deductions |
Federal tax withheld | Box 2 | Should not be zero unless you claimed exempt |
401(k) contributions | Box 12, code D | Should match your per-paycheck deduction x number of pay periods |
Health coverage cost | Box 12, code DD | Informational only, not taxable |
State wages | Boxes 15-17 | One line per state if you worked in multiple states |
PetSmart’s 401(k) matches 50 cents per dollar on the first 6% you contribute, vesting at 20% per year. Your own contributions appear in Box 12 code D. The employer match does not show on your W2.
A note for groomers and trainers. If you’re a salon groomer or dog trainer at PetSmart, your W2 reflects your hourly wages plus any commission or per-service pay that PetSmart included in your regular paycheck. Tips that customers added through the PetSmart payment system and were paid out through payroll are also included in Box 1 as taxable wages. Cash tips that weren’t reported through the system are technically still taxable income, but they won’t appear on your W2. You’re responsible for reporting those separately.
Employees who transferred between locations. If you moved between PetSmart stores in different states during the tax year, Boxes 15 through 17 will show separate lines for each state where you earned wages. You’ll only receive one W2 from PetSmart (not one per store), but the state breakdown will reflect each location.
Phase 4: Handle any problems
W2 isn’t showing up in ADP. Electronic W2s appear by mid-January. If it’s past January 31 and nothing is there, call 1-866-263-8411.
Numbers look wrong. Compare Box 1 to your last pay stub’s year-to-date total. Common reasons for a mismatch: pre-tax health insurance premiums, 401(k) contributions, and HSA deductions all reduce Box 1 below your gross pay. If the difference can’t be explained by deductions, contact HR for a review. PetSmart will issue a corrected W-2c if there’s a genuine error.
You’re a former employee and can’t register for ADP. Try registering with the code petm-pets anyway. ADP accounts aren’t always deactivated immediately at separation, and even if your PetSmart portal access (HR Connect) was turned off, ADP may still work independently.
No luck with registration? Call 1-866-263-8411 and request your W2 be mailed to your current address. Also request confirmation of the address they have on file, since your paper W2 was mailed to whatever address PetSmart had when you left.
Nothing works. File IRS Form 4506-T for a Wage and Income Transcript, or use Form 4852 as a substitute W2. Both are available at irs.gov.
Phase 5: File your taxes
Once your W2 is downloaded, enter the information into your tax software or give it to your preparer. PetSmart W2s import into TurboTax and H&R Block without the issues that some other employers (like TJX) have with automatic import. Search for “PetSmart” in your tax software’s W2 import tool and follow the prompts.
For manual entry, the box numbers on the form match exactly to what TurboTax, FreeTaxUSA, and other platforms ask for. There’s nothing PetSmart-specific that complicates the filing process.
Timeline at a glance
Electronic W2s in ADP by mid-January. Paper copies mailed by January 31, typically arriving by mid-February. Federal filing deadline is April 15. If you’re using PetSmart’s 401(k) through the plan administrator and also received a 1099-R for any distributions, that’s a separate document and won’t be in ADP.
PetSmart W2 vs. other pet industry employers
PetSmart’s ADP-based process with the petm-pets registration code is actually one of the cleaner setups among the 22 companies we cover. The code is public, ADP is a well-known platform, and former employees retain access longer than at many competitors. Compare that to Aldi (no public documentation at all) or HCA Healthcare (3-4 ID deactivation nightmare), and PetSmart looks pretty good.
The main friction point is people not knowing the registration code exists. Now you do.
Other PetSmart resources
The PetSmart login portals guide covers HR Connect, ADP, and the Alight benefits portal. For details on the PetSmart employee discount, including the 15% standard rate and 50% off proprietary brands, that page has the full breakdown. Questions about PetSmart PTO policies, including the use-it-or-lose-it rule for vacation time, are covered there.
Everything else is at the PetSmart employee resource hub.