Kyle McEuen It is hard to keep so many different types of tax forms straight. When running a small business, it is important to know which form is used when – along with the compliance concerns to watch out for.
The most common forms you will use in business (and during tax time) are Forms W-4, W-2, W-9, and 1099-NEC.
Let’s dig into each form type to provide a clear distinction, helping your business run most effectively.
Form W-4: Paying Employees
Form W-4, also known as the Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, is filled out by an employee. It is how the employer knows how much to tax to withhold throughout the year. The amount withheld will be based on the allowances claimed – the more allowances, the lower amount of federal taxes withheld from each paycheck.
The personal allowances worksheet that is provided with a Form W-4 helps employees calculate how many ‘allowances’ to claim on the form. PrimePay has a Form W-4 assistance calculator to provide to your employees when they’re filling out a Form W-4, ensuring they claim the right number of allowances.
Some employees may want to update their withholding allowances throughout the year. The time to do this, other than hire date, would be when there is a life event like marriage, birth of a child, etc.
Form W-2: Summary of Wages & Withholdings
Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, shows the income and taxes withheld from an employee’s pay for the year and is necessary to file your taxes. While the Form W-4 instructs employers what to take out while collecting employee personal data, the Form W-2 is a summary of the wages paid and what was withheld throughout the year (thanks to the W-4).
While a Form W-4 is completed by the employee, Forms W-2 are completed by employers. The IRS requires employers to provide employees copies of their Form W-2 by no later than January 31.
If you’re an employee and do not receive your Form W-2 on time, there are steps you should take to make sure you do not get penalized.
Form W-9: Gathering the Info of Non-employee Payees
If you have any other individuals (or companies) that are doing work for your business, but they are not a W-2 employee, have them complete a Form W-9 prior to doing work for you. A common example of who will fill this form out for you is an independent contractor.
Form W-9, a Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, does it exactly what it sounds like. It captures the information of the person, or company, doing work for your business. From here, you can record their wages.
It differs from a Form W-4 in the sense that it does not have any kind of withholding or allowance information. Its main purpose is to gather the information of the payee so you can accurately complete a Form 1099-NEC.
Form 1099-NEC: Summary of Payments
A Form 1099-NEC is to a Form W-9 like a Form W-2 is to a Form W-4. Except withholdings are not recorded.
Like a Form W-2, a Form 1099-NEC must be filled out by the employer and provided to the individual or entity by January 31. This form will report what is paid to the individual or entity and their reporting details (like name, address, SSN or TIN), but all of the tax payments are up to the payee of this form.
When in Doubt, Let PrimePay Help
PrimePay’s All-Inclusive Payroll bundle comes complete with federal and state tax filing for your business, and it could also handle the distribution of your Forms W-2!
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