Glossary / Form 941 · Also called Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return

How it works

The due dates are April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. If you deposited all the tax for the quarter on time, you get until the 10th of the following month. Most employers file Form 941; very small employers the IRS has notified may file the annual Form 944 instead, and agricultural employers file Form 943.

Deposits come before the return. Your deposit schedule, monthly or semiweekly, depends on the tax you reported in a lookback period. Semiweekly depositors also file Schedule B with the 941 to show their liability by day. If the quarter's total liability is under $2,500, it can usually be paid with the return.

Worked example: A quarter with four employees

In the third quarter a cafe pays $48,000 in wages and withholds $4,100 of federal income tax. Social Security and Medicare total 15.3% × $48,000 = $7,344 for both shares. Line 12, total taxes after adjustments, is $11,444. If the cafe deposited $11,444 during the quarter, the balance due on the return is zero.

Item	Amount
Wages, tips and other compensation	$48,000
Federal income tax withheld	$4,100
Social Security (12.4%)	$5,952
Medicare (2.9%)	$1,392
Total taxes	$11,444

In AcboBooks

AcboBooks fills a Form 941 worksheet from the quarter's paychecks, alongside a Form 940 worksheet for FUTA. You file the return through IRS e-file or on paper; AcboBooks does not file it or make deposits.

Related terms

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Sources

Updated October 25, 2026. General information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules and rates change; check with the IRS, the CRA, your state or province, or your accountant.

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Form 941