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.
Stephen Goldstein is Vice President, Client Experience Lead for RGAX, the transformation engine of Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGA). Stephen works closely with insurance companies in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and South America to develop needs-based solutions.
He most recently spent four years with Prudential Assurance in Malaysia in a range of business development roles culminating with Director, PD Sales Management. Previously, he was with Prudential plc, where he first led agency operations into Eastern Europe and Ireland, and then served as Principal Auditor for the Group Head office in London. Before then, he was a wholesaler with Jackson National Life Insurance Co.
Stephen’s global experience in the insurance and financial services industries spans corporate roles in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with a focus on distribution, operations, audit, market entry, consumer financial advice, and corporate strategy. Through his consulting practice, Stephen has also helped insurtech startups with their sales and go-to-market initiatives.
Stephen’s Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona includes coursework at the University’s Eller College of Management business school.
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
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.
