Instructions for Form 941 Checklist—2019 Tax Year
Form 941 reports federal employment taxes each quarter for businesses that pay wages subject
to withholding. The 2019 instructions reflect the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act withholding adjustments and remove outdated references to the federal unemployment insurance surtax, which expired on June 30, 2011.
Verify Business Information and Employer Identification
Number
Your Employer Identification Number and legal name must match IRS records precisely to avoid processing delays or compliance notices. Enter your business address as it appears in IRS files, and report the correct principal business activity code for your industry.
Mismatches between your Form 941 and IRS records can trigger system-generated correspondence or prevent electronic filing. Review your business information carefully before submitting each quarterly federal tax return.
Report Federal Income Tax Withheld
Line 3 on Form 941 reports the total federal income tax withheld from employee wages, tips, and other compensation during the quarter. This amount includes only income tax withholding and excludes Social Security and Medicare taxes, which appear on separate lines.
Apply 2019 Withholding Tables
Employers must use the revised wage and income tax withholding tables that took effect
January 1, 2019, as published in IRS Publication 15 and Publication 15-T. The 2019 withholding tables incorporate TCJA adjustments, so you must not use prior-year publications when calculating withholding amounts.
Calculate Social Security and Medicare Tax Liabilities
Form 941 requires you to report combined employee and employer portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes. Social Security tax applies at a combined rate of 12.4 percent—6.2 percent
withheld from employees and 6.2 percent paid by the employer—on wages up to the annual wage base of $132,900 for 2019.
The Medicare tax applies at a combined rate of 2.9 percent on all wages, with no wage base limit. Report taxable Social Security wages on Line 5a, taxable Social Security tips on Line 5b, and taxable Medicare wages and tips on Line 5c, then report any additional Medicare tax withholding on Line 5d, if applicable.
Understand Tax Liability and Deposit Reconciliation
Line 10 on Form 941 reflects your total taxes after adjustments, calculated by combining lines 6 through 9. Line 12 shows your total taxes after adjustments and credits, which equals Line 10 minus Line 11. Line 13 reports your total deposits for the quarter, including any overpayment you applied from a prior quarter or from filing Form 941-X. Compare Line 12 to Line 13 to determine whether you owe additional tax or have an overpayment.
Determine Your Deposit Schedule
Your deposit schedule depends on your lookback period, which covers the four quarters from
July 1 of the second preceding calendar year through June 30 of the prior calendar year.
Monthly schedule depositors reported $50,000 or less in taxes during the lookback period and must deposit by the 15th of the following month.
File Form 941 by the Correct Deadline
The quarterly filing deadlines for 2019 are April 30 for the first quarter, July 31 for the second quarter, October 31 for the third quarter, and January 31, 2020, for the fourth quarter. You receive a 10-day filing extension if you deposited all taxes for the quarter in full and on time.
Address TCJA Withholding Transition Issues
The 2019 instructions clarify that employers who over-withheld or under-withheld during the early 2018 TCJA implementation phase should not file amended returns for prior quarters.
Correct any 2019 withholding errors on your current-year forms only, and do not attempt to adjust prior-year returns solely to reflect withholding methodology changes.
Attach Required Schedules and Payment Vouchers
Schedule R (Form 941) is required only for IRS-approved Section 3504 agents and Certified
Professional Employer Organizations filing aggregate returns on behalf of multiple clients. This schedule allocates client-specific information and has no relationship to multi-state operations.
Most employers do not file Schedule R unless they meet these specific third-party reporting requirements. Complete Form 941-V if you pay by check or money order rather than electronic funds transfer.
Prepare Payment Vouchers Correctly
Enter the payment amount from Line 12 or Line 14 of your Form 941 as instructed on the voucher, along with your Employer Identification Number and tax period. Mail Form 941 and
Form 941-V together to the address listed in the 2019 instructions for your state and payment status.
Maintain Payroll Records and Supporting Documentation
Retain copies of Form 941, payroll records, and all supporting schedules for at least four years from the due date of the return or the date you filed it, whichever is later. Your records must support all wage and tax amounts reported on Form 941 and must reconcile to your annual
Forms W-2 and Form W-3.
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