Payroll tax due dates depend on the schedule the IRS assigns you. Monthly depositors send in each month’s withheld income tax, Social Security, and Medicare by the 15th of the following month. Semi-weekly depositors pay within a few business days of each payday. Federal unemployment tax (FUTA) runs on a separate quarterly calendar, and annual wage forms like the W-2 and 1099-NEC are due January 31.
How the IRS Decides Your Deposit Schedule
Before you can know when a deposit is due, you need to know which schedule you are on. The IRS assigns you either a monthly or a semi-weekly schedule for the whole calendar year based on your total tax liability during a lookback period. For 2026, that period runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The IRS adds up the amounts you reported on Line 12 of every Form 941 filed during those four quarters.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide
- Reported $50,000 or less during the lookback period: monthly depositor.
- Reported more than $50,000: semi-weekly depositor.
A brand-new employer with no filing history is treated as having zero liability in the lookback period, which puts you on the monthly schedule for your first year. The one thing that can pull you off it mid-year is the $100,000 next-day rule described below.2Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 757, Forms 941 and 944 – Deposit Requirements
Monthly Deposit Deadlines
If you are a monthly depositor, the taxes accumulated during a calendar month are due by the 15th of the following month. Taxes withheld from January paychecks are due February 15, February’s taxes are due March 15, and so on. When the 15th falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide
Semi-Weekly Deposit Deadlines
Semi-weekly depositors work off the actual payday, not the calendar month. The week is split into two windows:
- Payday on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday: deposit due the following Wednesday.
- Payday on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday: deposit due the following Friday.
You always get at least three business days between payday and the deposit deadline. If a federal holiday lands in that window, you get one extra day.1Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide
The $100,000 Next-Day Rule
Whichever schedule you are normally on, if your accumulated tax liability reaches $100,000 or more on any single day, you must deposit that amount by the close of the next business day. A monthly depositor who trips this rule is reclassified as a semi-weekly depositor for the rest of the current year and all of the next year.3Internal Revenue Service. What Are FTDs and Why Are They Important?
How to Actually Make the Deposit
Federal tax deposits have to be electronic. You cannot mail a check to the IRS for a routine payroll deposit. Free options include the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), your IRS business tax account, and IRS Direct Pay for businesses. You can also arrange an ACH credit or same-day wire through your bank, though the bank may charge a fee.4Internal Revenue Service. Depositing and Reporting Employment Taxes
FUTA Deposit Deadlines
Federal unemployment tax follows its own calendar and is paid entirely by the employer. At the end of each quarter, check your cumulative FUTA liability. If it is more than $500, deposit it by the last day of the month after the quarter ends:
- Q1 (January–March): due April 30.
- Q2 (April–June): due July 31.
- Q3 (July–September): due October 31.
- Q4 (October–December): due January 31.
If your cumulative liability is $500 or less at the end of a quarter, you can roll it into the next quarter instead of depositing. If the full-year total is still $500 or less, you can pay it with your annual Form 940 rather than making a separate deposit.5Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 759, Form 940 – Filing and Deposit Requirements
State unemployment taxes are separate, with their own wage bases and filing schedules that vary considerably by state. Check with your state workforce agency.
Form 941 and Form 944 Return Deadlines
Depositing the money and filing the return that reports it are two different obligations with two different deadlines. Most employers file Form 941 quarterly to report wages and taxes withheld. It is due by the last day of the month following each quarter:6Internal Revenue Service. About Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return
- Q1: April 30.
- Q2: July 31.
- Q3: October 31.
- Q4: January 31.
If every deposit for the quarter was made on time and in full, you get an automatic 10-day extension on the return. A Q1 Form 941 that would normally be due April 30 becomes due May 10.7Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 941
Very small employers whose combined annual Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax liability is $1,000 or less may be notified by the IRS to file Form 944 once a year instead. Form 944, along with any remaining tax owed, is due January 31.8Internal Revenue Service. About Form 944, Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return
W-2 and 1099-NEC Deadlines
Form W-2 must be given to each employee and filed with the Social Security Administration by January 31. If January 31 lands on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day.9Social Security Administration. Deadline Dates to File W-2s Employers who file 10 or more information returns of any kind combined must file electronically.10Internal Revenue Service. Employment Tax Due Dates
If you paid any independent contractor $600 or more during the year, Form 1099-NEC is due to both the IRS and the contractor by January 31.11Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC
What Happens if You Miss a Deadline
Late deposit penalties climb quickly the longer the money sits unpaid:12Internal Revenue Service. Failure to Deposit Penalty
- 1 to 5 calendar days late: 2% of the unpaid deposit.
- 6 to 15 calendar days late: 5%.
- More than 15 calendar days late: 10%.
- Unpaid after the IRS issues a notice or demand for immediate payment: 15%.
Interest also runs on the unpaid balance, compounded daily. The underpayment rate for the first quarter of 2026 is 7%.13Internal Revenue Service. Quarterly Interest Rates
Late or incorrect W-2s and 1099-NECs carry their own per-form penalties for 2026: $60 per form up to 30 days late, $130 from 31 days late through August 1, and $340 after August 1 or if never filed. Intentional disregard raises the penalty to $680 per form with no cap.14Internal Revenue Service. Information Return Penalties Because these apply per form, a business with a large payroll or many contractors can accumulate significant totals fast.
Personal Liability for Missed Payroll Taxes
Withheld income tax and the employee share of FICA are “trust fund” taxes: you hold them for the government after taking them out of paychecks. Under 26 U.S.C. § 6672, any person who was responsible for collecting and paying over these taxes and who willfully failed to do so faces a penalty equal to 100% of the unpaid trust fund amount.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S.C. 6672 – Failure to Collect and Pay Over Tax
The IRS calls this the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty. A responsible person can be an officer, director, shareholder, partner, LLC member, or any employee with check-signing authority. Willfulness does not require bad intent; knowing the taxes were owed and paying other creditors first is enough. The IRS can assess the penalty against several people at the same business, and it attaches to personal assets, which makes missed payroll deposits one of the costlier obligations a business owner can neglect.16Internal Revenue Service. Employment Taxes and the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty