Form 941 - Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return

What Form 941 is

Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, is how employers report each quarter the wages they paid, the federal income tax they withheld, and both the employer and employee shares of social security and Medicare taxes. This template is Form 941 (Rev. March 2026), the revision posted on IRS.gov as of October 2026. The Instructions for Form 941 say the IRS expects the March 2026 revision to be used for all four quarters of 2026. The PDF has three pages: the two-page return and Form 941-V, the payment voucher.

New on this revision: lines 15c to 15e let you request a refund of an overpayment by direct deposit, with fields for the routing number, account type (checking or savings), and account number.

Who files it

Generally, any employer that pays wages subject to federal income tax withholding or to social security and Medicare taxes files Form 941 every quarter. The instructions list exceptions, including employers notified to file the annual Form 944, seasonal employers in quarters when they pay no wages, and employers of household or farm employees, who use other forms. If you're unsure whether these apply, check the instructions or ask a tax professional.

What to have ready

• Your EIN, legal name, trade name, and address
• Payroll totals for the quarter: wages, tips, federal income tax withheld, and taxable social security and Medicare wages and tips
• The number of employees paid for the pay period that includes the 12th of the quarter's last month
• Your total deposits for the quarter and your deposit schedule (monthly or semiweekly)
• Bank details if you want a refund by direct deposit

How to fill it out online

Click "Fill Template Now," type into the boxes on both pages, sign in Part 5, and download the PDF. The form says you must complete both pages and sign it.

Header

Enter your EIN, name (not your trade name), trade name if any, and address, then check the quarter (1: January, February, March through 4: October, November, December). Aggregate return filers, such as section 3504 agents and certified professional employer organizations, also check a type of filer.

Part 1: this quarter's figures

Line 1 is the number of employees; line 2 wages, tips, and other compensation; line 3 federal income tax withheld. Line 4 is a checkbox if no wages were subject to social security or Medicare tax. Lines 5a to 5d calculate the taxes: social security wages and tips times 0.124, Medicare wages and tips times 0.029, and wages subject to Additional Medicare Tax withholding times 0.009. Line 5e totals them, 5f is tax due on unreported tips, and line 6 is total taxes before adjustments. Lines 7 to 9 are adjustments for fractions of cents, sick pay, and tips and group-term life insurance, giving line 10. Line 11 is the qualified small business payroll tax credit for research (attach Form 8974), line 12 the total after credits, and line 13 total deposits. Line 14 is any balance due; line 15a an overpayment, with 15b to apply it to the next return or request a refund.

Part 2: deposit schedule

Line 16 asks which applies: line 12 is under $2,500 (or the prior quarter's was) and no $100,000 next-day deposit obligation arose; you were a monthly schedule depositor, in which case enter Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, and the total, which must equal line 12; or you were a semiweekly depositor, in which case attach Schedule B (Form 941).

Parts 3 to 5

Part 3 covers a business that closed or stopped paying wages (line 17, with the final date) and seasonal employers (line 18). Part 4 lets you name a third-party designee with a five-digit PIN. Part 5 is the signature, printed name and title, date, and phone, plus the Paid Preparer Use Only section. You can add a signature with our PDF signing tool; check the instructions for who may sign for your type of business.

Form 941-V

Use the voucher only if you're paying a balance due by check or money order with the return. Enter your EIN, the amount, the quarter, and your name and address.

Filing and due dates

The IRS encourages e-filing; see IRS.gov/EmploymentEfile. If you file on paper, the mailing address depends on your location and whether you include a payment, so use the "Where Should You File?" table in the instructions. Per the instructions, the return is due by the last day of the month after the quarter ends: April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31. If you made all deposits on time and in full, you have until the 10th of the following month. When a due date falls on a weekend or legal holiday, it moves to the next business day. Most taxes must be deposited electronically during the quarter; the return is not a substitute for deposits. Our post on the Q3 2026 Form 941 deadline covers the current quarter.

Common mistakes

• Leaving page 2 blank or unsigned
• A monthly liability total in Part 2 that doesn't equal line 12
• Using Form 941-V to make deposits that should go through EFTPS or another electronic method
• Checking more than one quarter box
• Mailing to the wrong address for a return with or without payment