The doctrine of constructive receipt is a fundamental IRS principle (found in IRS Publication 15) determining when wages are taxable. Under this rule, wages are considered " paid " and thus taxable when they are made available to the employee without substantial limitation or restriction. For example, if a paycheck is ready for pickup at the office on Friday, it is constructively received on Friday, even if the employee chooses to pick it up on Monday. Similarly, if funds are deposited into an employee ' s account via direct deposit, they are received when they become available for withdrawal. This rule prevents employees from deferring tax liability by simply not cashing a check or picking up pay until a later tax year. The date of constructive receipt dictates the timing of tax withholding and reporting on Form W-2.