When it comes to thinking about your company’s taxes, you probably don’t want to think about them until it’s necessary. But for some business types, you may need to think about them more often. Depending on the type of business you run, you may have to file quarterly.
Who Has to File Quarterly?
The IRS has rules on who has to file their taxes quarterly. If you’re an independent contractor, the sole proprietor of a trade or business, you’re in a partnership that carries a trade or a business, or you’re in business for yourself, you’ll have to file taxes quarterly. Even if the company you’re in is part-time work, you still will be required to file quarterly.
Paying taxes quarterly is designed to lessen your tax burden when it comes time to file your annual return. Instead of making one large payment at one time, you instead make four smaller payments throughout the year, generally when each quarter ends. Each quarter has different due dates, so be sure to stay on top of deadlines.
How Much Do You File?
The answer to this question is going to vary based on how much you’ve earned. The first thing to do is look at how much you’ve made in a specific quarter. From there, you subtract any losses and deductions to your business. From there, use IRS Form 1040-ES to work out how much you’ll owe to the IRS. The form comes complete with deadlines for each quarter, so you’ll know when everything is due.
Because this is a tax estimate, you may find out you’ve paid too much or too little. If you’ve paid too little, you may owe more money on next quarter’s filing or when you file your annual return. On the other hand, if you overpaid, you may receive a refund when you do your annual return.
How Can I File?
The IRS allows you to file in two different ways: online and on paper. The online filing enables you to file up to the day your quarterly taxes are due. On paper should be mailed before the deadline. Regardless of which method you use to pay your quarterly taxes, we recommend completing them with plenty of time to spare to avoid tax-related headaches.
Who Doesn’t File Quarterly
If you’re a W-2, you’re in the clear! The majority of the time, you won’t need to file your taxes quarterly. The main reason the types of companies above have to file quarterly is because important taxes aren’t deducted from their paychecks. Your employer should already be deducting the right amount of tax that you put in your W-4. If you have any questions, your company’s HR department should be able to help. And, as always, we’re here to answer any questions you may have.
Whether you have to pay quarterly or annually, never leave things until the last minute. It causes more stress than necessary. Keep on top of your payment and deductions to make quarterly filing as smooth as possible. And remember, if you don’t file your taxes at all, you risk hefty fines from the IRS.
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