Payrollix files the full set of recurring payroll tax returns automatically. This article is the reference list — every form we file, the agency it goes to, and when.
If a return is not listed here, it is not part of what we file. The most common examples are sales-tax returns or non-payroll information returns — those belong to other systems.
Federal returns
The federal 94x family is the core of our quarterly and annual filings. Form 941 is the quarterly employer return for federal income tax withheld and FICA. Form 940 is the annual FUTA return. Form 943 is the agricultural employer's annual return. Form 944 is the small-employer annual alternative to quarterly 941. Form 945 covers non-payroll income tax (1099 backup withholding and similar).
Each return is prepared from the period's payroll runs, validated against the IRS filing schema, signed under our Reporting Agent authorization, and transmitted to the IRS e-file gateway. Acknowledgments come back to the client record.
Year-end information returns
W-2 forms are generated for every employee paid during the year and filed with the Social Security Administration via the W-3 transmittal by January 31. 1099-NEC forms are generated for every contractor paid $600 or more during the year and filed with the IRS by January 31, accompanied by the 1096 transmittal where applicable.
PDF copies of each W-2 and 1099 are made available to the recipient through their employee or contractor portal, and an archived copy is kept on the client record for the IRS-required retention period.
State returns
For every state where the client has employees, we file the state's quarterly withholding return, the state unemployment insurance (SUI) wage report, and any paid-family-medical-leave or state-disability returns that apply (California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, Delaware — and a growing list). Annual state W-2 and 1099 transmittals are filed where the state requires them separately from the federal SSA and IRS filings.
Some states are direct-file from Payrollix; others require a bulk upload to a state portal under a TPA designation we maintain. The end result is the same: the return is on file and acknowledged by the agency.
Amendments
When a correction changes a prior period's totals, an amended return follows. We file Form 941-X to amend a 941, the amended version of Form 940, 943-X, 944-X, and 945-X for their respective annual returns, and W-2c (transmitted via W-3c) for corrected W-2s. State amendments follow each state's own process.
You do not file these manually. When a correction is recorded in the system, the amendment is queued and transmitted on the appropriate schedule.
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