As tax filing season nears, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding businesses to submit wage statements and certain information returns to the federal government by Jan. 31. Employees should also be provided with their copies by this date, so they can make preparations for filing taxes by April 15.
Filing the required forms by deadline and without errors not only helps payers and recipients avoid penalties, it also helps the IRS fight fraud by making it easier to verify income information.
The Jan. 31 deadline applies to:
- Employers filing Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, with the Social Security Administration.
- Payers filing Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation, with the IRS.
Jan. 31 is also the deadline to:
- Furnish copies of W-2, Form 1099-NEC and other information returns to the recipients. See each form’s filing instructions for the due dates to furnish copies to recipients.
E-filing
Filing electronically is the fastest, most convenient way to accurately submit forms.
As of last year, W-2s and certain other forms must be filed electronically if submitting 10 or more information returns during a calendar year. For more details, including a list of information returns subject to the new e-filing rules, see E-file information returns.
The IRS also offers free e-filing for the 1099 series using the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS), an online portal where users can prepare copies of forms to furnish, file correction and request automatic extensions.
Requesting extensions
While employers and payers may request a 30-day extension to file W-2s or certain information returns, approvals of extensions are not automatic. To request extra filing time, submit Form 8809, Application for Extension of Time to File Information Returns PDF, by Jan. 31 or by the due date of the returns being requested.
Please note that filing a Form 8809 does not extend the deadline for furnishing wage statements to employees or information returns to the payees. Those requests must be faxed to IRS in letter form by Jan. 31. Please see About Form 8809, Application for Extension of Time to File Information Returns, for more information.
Potential penalties
If employers and payers haven’t already, start preparing filings now so there is time to double check the accuracy of the forms and file and furnish them by Jan. 31.
Penalties may apply filings are untimely, inaccurate and/or improperly submitted to the federal government on paper. For more information, including a breakdown of potential penalties and interest, visit the Information Return Penalties page at IRS.gov.
Additional resources
Use the IRS’s forms, instructions and publications search tool to look up more information about or instructions for all current IRS forms, including those listed above, or visit the Forms, instruction and publications page on IRS.gov.
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Tags: Income Tax, IRS, Taxes
