Instructions for Form 941 Checklist — Tax Year 2013
Form 941 (Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return) for 2013 reports federal income tax
withholding, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax due from wages paid to employees each quarter. During 2013, the tax year introduced the Additional Medicare Tax on high earners and restored the employee Social Security tax rate to 6.2 percent following a temporary reduction.
To file employer payroll tax forms accurately and avoid penalties, employers must understand deposit schedules, reporting requirements, and line-by-line instructions. The Internal Revenue
Service monitors compliance through electronic filing systems and deposit verification procedures.
Please verify your deposit schedule obligation.
Your business qualifies as a semi-weekly or monthly depositor based on total tax liability reported during the lookback period. For 2013 Form 941 filers, the lookback period runs from
July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012.
Employers who reported employment taxes of $50,000 or less during the lookback period must follow the monthly deposit schedule. Employers who reported more than $50,000 in employment taxes during the lookback period must follow the semi-weekly deposit schedule.
Report Federal Income Tax Withheld on Line 2
Enter total income tax withheld from employee wages during the quarter on Line 2. This figure must match the employee's Form W-2 records and the payroll records maintained throughout the reporting period.
Calculate and Report Social Security Wages and Tax on
Lines 5a–5d
Report gross wages subject to Social Security tax on Line 5a. For 2013, the Social Security wage base limit is $113,700 per employee, and the tax rate is 6.2 percent for both employees and employers. Stop paying Social Security tax on an employee's wages once the employee's taxable wages reach $113,700 for the year. Complete Lines 5c and 5d for allocated tips and adjustment calculations if applicable to your FICA Withholding reporting situation.
Calculate and Report Medicare Tax on Lines 6a–6b
Report all wages subject to Medicare tax on Line 6a because no wage cap applies to Medicare tax. Calculate Medicare tax at the 2013 rate of 1.45 percent for both employees and employers, totaling 2.9 percent, and enter the result on Line 6b.
Report Additional Medicare Tax on Line 5d
For 2013, you must withhold a 0.9 percent Additional Medicare Tax from wages you pay to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. This Additional Medicare Tax is imposed only on the employee, and there is no employer share. You are required to begin withholding
Additional Medicare Tax in the pay period in which you pay wages in excess of $200,000 to an employee. Report these wages and the withheld tax on Line 5d of Form 941.
Report Adjustments for Fractions of Cents on Line 7
Enter adjustments for fractions of cents due to rounding on Line 7. These adjustments relate to the employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld and may differ slightly from amounts actually withheld from employees' pay.
Correct Errors Using Form 941-X
If you discover an error on a previously filed Form 941, you must file Form 941-X, Adjusted
Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return or Claim for Refund, to correct the mistake. File Form
941-X separately from Form 941, and use a separate Form 941-X for each quarter that needs correction.
When you file Form 941-X for prior quarters, do not change your current quarter's tax liability on
Schedule B by adjustments reported on the amended return. Employers who file Form 941-X must ensure the corrections correspond to filed amendment documents and maintain records of all payroll liabilities for audit verification.
Complete Schedule B if You Are a Semi-Weekly Depositor
Semi-weekly depositors must complete and submit Schedule B (Form 941), Report of Tax
Liability for Semiweekly Schedule Depositors, with their Form 941 return. Under the
semi-weekly deposit schedule, deposit employment taxes for payments made on Wednesday,
Thursday, or Friday by the following Wednesday.
Deposit payroll taxes for payments made on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday by the following Friday. Failure to submit Schedule B will result in the Internal Revenue Service asserting deposit penalties based on available information.
Verify Deposit Credits on Line 10
Enter total federal tax deposits made during the quarter on Line 10. Include only deposits credited to your Employer Identification Number by the quarterly deadline, and verify each deposit date and amount match Internal Revenue Service deposit records.
You must use electronic funds transfer to make all federal tax deposits through the Electronic
Federal Tax Payment System. For an EFTPS deposit to be on time, you must initiate it by 8 p.m.
Eastern time the day before the deposit is due.
Sign and Date the Return
Sign Form 941 as the authorized company officer, owner, or designated agent. Print your name, title, and date on the signature line provided on the form. For paper-filed returns, a handwritten signature is required; for electronically filed returns, use Form 8879-EMP for signature authorization. Unsigned forms will be rejected by the Internal Revenue Service regardless of filing method.
Assemble Schedules and Attachments
Attach Schedule B (Form 941) if you are a semi-weekly schedule depositor, and verify that payroll records supporting your entries are retained for audit purposes. Form W-3, Transmittal of
Wage and Tax Statements, is filed annually with the Social Security Administration, not quarterly with Form 941.
Understand Filing Deadlines and Reconciliation
Requirements
Employers must meet quarterly filing deadlines to avoid penalties and interest charges on late submissions. The Internal Revenue Service matches amounts reported on your four quarterly
Forms 941 with Wage & Tax Statements totaled on your yearly Form W-3 to reconcile federal income tax withholding, Social Security wages, Social Security tips, and FICA taxes.
Employers should review each employee's Form W-2 to ensure wage amounts, Social Security wages, and Medicare wages match the totals reported across all quarterly returns. If discrepancies exist between Form W-2 data and Form 941 totals, the Internal Revenue Service or Social Security Administration may contact you for clarification.
Year-Specific 2013 Updates and Requirements
For 2013, instructions reflect the return of the employee Social Security tax rate to 6.2 percent from the temporary 4.2 percent rate that applied in 2011 and 2012. Effective January 1, 2013, the Additional Medicare Tax, introduced under the Affordable Care Act, requires reporting on
Line 5d.
To determine correct federal income tax withholding amounts throughout the year, employers must ensure employees complete Form W-4 accurately. Determining deposit schedules for
2013 relies on the lookback period running from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012, which applies to all employers filing quarterly returns under their assigned Employer Identification
Number.
Employer shared responsibility provisions under the Affordable Care Act did not apply to Form
941 in 2013 and first became effective in 2015. As a result, employers should focus on FICA taxes, withholding accuracy, and filing deadlines for the 2013 reporting period, while also confirming that Form W-4 withholding elections remain current to avoid underwithholding or overwithholding that could affect employee Form W-2 reporting at year-end.
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