Payroll tax
Help for owners behind on payroll tax
When a business falls behind on payroll tax, the IRS tends to move quickly, and it can come after the owner personally. We work out what the business owes, what you might owe in your own name, and what to file this month so it stops growing.
This page is for you if
The business has missed payroll deposits or quarterly returns
A revenue officer has called or come by
The IRS has proposed a penalty against you as an owner or bookkeeper
Your business is being audited
How a payroll tax case goes
Business cases vary more than personal ones. This is the usual order.
- 01
Step 1: We find where things stand
Which quarters are unfiled, which are unpaid, and what the IRS has started.
- 02
Step 2: We stop the growth
Current deposits come first: the IRS won't agree to anything while new tax is going unpaid.
- 03
Step 3: We deal with the owner penalty
If the IRS proposes the trust fund penalty, we prepare you for the interview and appeal it where the facts allow.
- 04
Step 4: We set up the plan
A payment plan for the business, and for you if a penalty is assessed.
Questions about payroll tax
Can the IRS really make me pay the business's tax?
For the part withheld from employees' pay, yes: the trust fund recovery penalty can be assessed against anyone who was responsible for paying it and chose not to. Whether that's you depends on facts we'll go through with you.
Should I close the business?
Not before we've talked. Closing doesn't end the debt, and staying open with current deposits can help you get a plan.
Do you help with sales tax?
Yes, when the state's revenue department is collecting it. The fees page lists a flat fee for a business's payroll or sales tax plan.
A revenue officer on the phone?
Call before you meet with them. We'll talk through the free call first and then, if you want, take the meeting for you.