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.
As Chief AI and Digital Officer at SLK Software, Chandrashekar Surbhat leads the company's digital and AI led transformation strategy, focusing on delivering business outcomes. Chandra is focused on building IP/platforms, strategic partnerships with niche vendors to co-create value for customers and has successfully managed billion-dollar P&L businesses, turned around underperforming units and unlocked efficiencies. His leadership has been instrumental in driving organizational transformations and aligning business strategies with emerging technologies like AI, cloud and digital experience. Chandra holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Bangalore University and Program Management, General Management, and Marketing certification from IIM Bangalore.
Neil Keenan is a partner at the Forensic Risk Alliance based in the firm's Washington, D.C., office and serves as co-lead of FRA's investigations practice. He specializes in the delivery of forensic accounting services, including investigations in a number of areas that include corruption, accounting fraud, asset misappropriation and embezzlement.
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.
