941 - Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return:
NOTE - We do not Support 943, 944 Forms.
Federal law requires you, as an employer, to withhold certain taxes from your employees' pay. Each time you pay wages, you must withhold or take out of your employees' pay certain amounts for federal income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax.
The form reports employer's quarterly payroll tax liabilities and payments, including:
- Wages paid by the employer.
- Employee reported tips.
- Federal income tax withheld by employer.
- Employer and employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes.
- Additional Medicare tax withheld from employees.
- Current quarter adjustments to Social Security and Medicare taxes for fractions of cents, sick pay, tips, and group-term life insurance.
- Qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities.
We recommend to contact IRS or Tax Professional if you have concerns or need more information beyond what is being provided.
Who needs to file the Quarterly 941?
Employers who withhold the following from employees' wages need to file Form 941:
- Income taxes.
- Social Security taxes.
- Medicare taxes.
After filing the first Form 941, employers are required to file a return for each quarter there after, even if the employer has no taxes to report. See > www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-941
When do I need to file 941?
Form 941 is due by the last day of the month that follows the end of the quarter and must be filed to IRS.
Quarterly 941 Filing Deadlines and Due Dates
| Quarter | Date Quarter Ends | 941 Due Date |
| January, February, March | March 31 | April 30 |
| April, May, June | June 30 | July 31 |
| July, August, September | September 30 | October 31 |
| October, November, December | December 31 | January 31 |
See Pub.15 sections 11 and 12 regarding late filing and/or deposit penalties. www.irs.gov/publications/p15
Why do I need to file 941?
To report wages paid by the employer. employee reported tips, federal income tax withheld by employer, employer and employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes, additional Medicare tax withheld from employees and other employer payroll information.
How do I determine my deposit schedule and make deposit?
There are two deposit schedules—monthly and semiweekly—for determining when you deposit social security, Medicare, and withheld federal income taxes. These schedules tell you when a deposit is due after a tax liability arises.
Note: semi-weekly deposit schedule requires Schedule B - See >Schedule-B-941-General-Instructions
Lookback Period: If you’re a Form 941 filer, your deposit schedule for a calendar year is determined from the total taxes reported on Forms 941, line 12, in a 4-quarter lookback period. The lookback period begins July 1 and ends June 30 as shown next in Table 1. If you reported $50,000 or less of taxes for the lookback period, you’re a monthly schedule depositor; if you reported more than $50,000, you’re a semiweekly schedule depositor.
You must deposit employment taxes, including Form 945 taxes, by EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer). You must use EFT to make all federal tax deposits. Generally, an EFT is made using EFTPS. EFTPS (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System) is a free service provided by the Department of the Treasury. To get more information about EFTPS or to enroll in EFTPS, go to EFTPS.gov or call 800-555-4477, 800-244-4829 (Spanish), or 303-967-5916 (toll call). To contact EFTPS using TRS for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, dial 711 and then provide the TRS assistant the 800-555-4477 number or 800-733-4829. Additional information about EFTPS is also available in Pub. 966.
See Pub.15 section 11 for more information > www.irs.gov/publications/p15
All of the following may NOT be reported on Form 941:
- Don't use Form 941 to report backup withholding or income tax withholding on non-payroll payments such as pensions, annuities, and gambling winnings. Report these types of withholding on Form 945, Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax. www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-945
- Don't use Form 941 to report unemployment taxes. Report unemployment taxes on Form 940, Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return. www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-940
- Employers of household employees don't usually file Form 941. See Pub. 926 and Schedule H (Form 1040) for more information. www.irs.gov/publications/p926
- Don't use Form 941 for wages paid for agricultural labor to farm employees. See About Form 943 and Pub.15 for more information. ww.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-943
What is the difference between 943 & 944? (Note: We do not Support 943, 944 Forms)
The forms 943 and 944 are both U.S. employer payroll tax forms used to report federal taxes you withhold from employees, but they apply to different types of employers and filing schedules.
Form 943:
This form is specifically for agricultural employers (farmers).
What it’s used for:
• Reporting wages paid to farmworkers
• Reporting federal income tax withheld
• Reporting Social Security and Medicare taxes on those wages
How often:
• Filed once per year (annually)
Who files it:
• Employers who pay workers for farm work (like crop farming, livestock, etc.)
www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-943
Form 944:
This is for small businesses with low payroll tax liability.
What it’s used for:
• Reporting federal income tax withheld
• Reporting Social Security and Medicare taxes
How often:
• Filed once per year (instead of quarterly Form 941)
www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-944
NOTE: Form 944 is designed so the smallest employers (those whose annual liability for social security, Medicare, and withheld federal income taxes is $1,000 or less) will file and pay these taxes only once a year instead of every quarter.
941 Online Signature PIN information:
What is a reporting agent and what are the reporting agent requirements?
A Reporting Agent originates the submission of certain returns for its clients and transmits to the IRS. They must be an accounting service, franchiser, bank, or other entity that complies with Rev. Proc. 2012-32, IRB 2012-34 and is authorized to perform one or more of the acts listed in Rev. Proc. 2012-32 on behalf of a taxpayer. They must submit Form 8655, Reporting Agent Authorization to the IRS prior to updating or submitting an IRS e-File application.
See > https://www.irs.gov/irb/2012-34_IRB#RP-2012-32
Form 8655 Form 8655, Reporting Agent Authorization to be completed by taxpayer authorizing report agent to file on their behalf.
A reporting agent originates the electronic submission of certain returns for its clients, and/or transmits the returns to the IRS. A reporting agent is an accounting service, franchiser, bank or other person who complies with Revenue Procedure 2012-32 and is authorized to prepare and sign employment tax returns electronically for a taxpayer. Reporting agents may transmit their own returns, or may use the services of a third-party transmitter.
To participate in MeF for employment taxes, prospective participants must first complete and submit an IRS e-file application. You must complete the IRS e-file application online after registering for e-Services. Additional guidance can be found in Publication 3112, IRS e-file Application and Participation PDF. Follow the instructions provided to complete your application.
A reporting agent must complete Form 8655, Reporting Agent Authorization PDF, for each client for whom a return is filed. Reporting agents must submit Form 8655 to the IRS prior to or at the same time that they submit an IRS e-file application. Further instructions can be found in Publication 1474, Technical Specifications Guide for Reporting Agent Authorization and Federal Depositors PDF.
If you have questions, or require assistance completing the IRS e-file application, phone 866-255-0654 (toll-free) and/or review the following below:
Review Additional Support Article below as needed:
See attached (pdf) below: