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
The CFPB said Monday in an email to staff that a contractor who works at its headquarters in Washington D.C. has tested positive for COVID-19.
Brendan Pedersen
March 16, 2020 3:04 PM

The agencies were up and running Monday but have taken steps to allow employees to work from home.

4 Min Read
March 16, 2020 3:00 PM

Lawmakers return to the state capital to formally approve the budget Thursday amid concerns over the novel coronavirus outbreak.

2 Min Read
Lorenzo Pellegrino, CEO of Skrill Ltd, Neteller and Income Access, which are units of Paysafe.
John Adams
March 16, 2020 1:52 PM

The nationwide lockdown in Italy has necessitated changes for Pellegrino personally, and for his business. The two worlds often intersect.

3 Min Read

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.