IRS issues guidance on repayment of deferred payroll taxes

The Internal Revenue Service released information on how employees now have until the end of the year to repay any payroll taxes they deferred from last year.

The Internal Revenue Service released information on how employees now have until the end of the year to repay any payroll taxes they deferred from last year.

Former President Trump issued a presidential memorandum last August allowing Social Security taxes to be deferred for the rest of 2020, but under the order they had to be repaid by April 30, 2021. The coronavirus relief package that Congress passed last month extended the repayment period until the end of this year.

Relatively few companies actually implemented the payroll deferral for their employees because there was no guarantee that the deferred payroll taxes would ultimately be forgiven by Congress. However, federal employees and military service members were still required to accept the payroll tax deferral, meaning those taxpayers will be facing smaller paychecks later this year.

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT: ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

Prior to co-founding UnifiHealth, Brodie worked at Actify Neurotherapies and PIMCO Investments. While at Actify, Brodie worked on clinic operations and strategy, reporting to the COO. His responsibilities at PIMCO included business development and client analytics for financial and benefit advisors. He also worked to implement a risk management platform for independent advisors to leverage across their book of business. Brodie is a CFA charterholder and holds an MBA from Dartmouth. 

Scott Hanson is a senior partner and founding principal of Allworth Financial. A nationally recognized financial expert, he has been listed as one of the 25 most influential people in the financial services industry nationwide.

Under Scott’s direction, through a combination of both organic expansion and acquisition, Allworth Financial has grown to over $8 billion in assets under administration. Over the past two years, Scott and his business partner have introduced Allworth into over 17 markets, growing the company’s service offerings to now include tax planning, accounting, and estate planning guidance.

With over 30 years of financial sector experience, Certified Financial Planner™ Mark Shone is an advisor in Allworth Financial’s Walnut Creek office.

Mark has a degree in Finance from California State University, Sacramento, and has completed the certificate in taxation from UCLA and financial education courses at the Wharton School.

A sought-after speaker at financial education conferences, in his free time, Mark enjoys golf and plays the drums in a Bay Area band. As for his advisory philosophy, he said: “Helping people reach their financial goals is something I take very seriously, and I make it my mission to provide clients with the same level of advice and care that I would give to a member of my own family.”

In Notice 2021-11, the IRS on Tuesday explained how employers who deferred payroll taxes on behalf of their employees can withhold and pay the deferred taxes throughout 2021 instead of just within the first four months of the year.

The deferral applied to employees who were paid less than $4,000 every two weeks, or an equivalent amount for other pay periods, with each pay period considered separately. The taxes, which are technically called Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI, are calculated at 6.2 percent of employees’ wages.

Notice 2021-11 makes changes to last year’s Notice 2020-65 to reflect the extended payment period. Payments made by Jan. 3, 2022, will be considered to be timely because Dec. 31, 2021, is a legal holiday. However, any penalties, interest and additions to tax will now start to apply on Jan. 1, 2022, for any unpaid balances

Advertisement
irs-headquarters-american-eagle-sign.jpg
IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

The IRS cautioned that employees could see their deferred taxes being collected immediately, so employees should check with their organization’s payroll point of contact on what their collection schedule will be.