Federal Payroll Tax

Answer 1

Federal payroll tax is a system in which the employer of a taxpayer withholds funds from the employee's wages for the purpose of paying various tax obligations. The employer may owe a portion of the tax liability themselves, based on the employee's wages. This is true with Social Security retirement, for instance, where both the employee and employer are responsible for a share of the tax.

Assume an employee makes $1,000.week. At the end of the year, the employee will have made $52,000. Based on this income, the employee would most likely have a federal tax obligation. Rather than waiting until the end of the year for the employee to pay their tax obligation, and risking that they may no longer have the funds, the IRS created employee withholding or federal payroll tax.

The estimated tax obligation of the employee is estimated by the IRS, based on the wages earned and the number of dependents the employee is entitled to claim. These estimates are set forth in tables created by the IRS and provided to employers. If a person earns $1,000 a week, the employer may be required to withhold $200 as an estimated tax payment to the IRS.

The federal taxes normally withheld by the employer include federal income tax, Social Security retirement and disability tax and Medicare tax. Deductions for things such as a 401k or pension account are normally optional deductions and are not considered taxes. In the case of Social Security retirement and disability, the employer may only withhold one half of the tax obligation (12.4 % plus 1.45 percent for Medicare in 2012). The employer must pay the other half of the obligation from the employer's own funds.

With very few exceptions, employers are required to make these deductions for federal payroll tax. If the employer fails or refuses to do so, the employer may be personally liable for the tax obligation. In addition, once the funds are deducted, the funds no longer belong to the employer. They must create a separate trust account for the benefit of the IRS.

On a quarterly basis, the employer must file a return with the IRS showing the employees, the wages earned and the payroll taxes withheld. The employer must then pay the amounts withheld to the IRS. If the employer fails to do so, and the employer is a corporation, officers or other responsible individuals may be held personally liable for the amount owed.