Entering data for Form 941

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In response to the various acts brought about by COVID-19, the IRS made significant changes to Form 941 beginning with the second quarter in 2020. For more information on how Accounting CS handles the fields that have been added as a result of COVID-19 legislations, go to Form 941: COVID-19 changes.

During Form 941 data entry, you can refer to the following table, which lists each field on Form 941 and then specifies where that data can be found or entered in Accounting CS. Use this table to help you troubleshoot each form line.

Note: The taxpayer and preparer signature dates always default to the current system date unless the Suppress date checkbox is marked in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialog. To use a different signature date, enter it in the Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms screen.

Form 941 fields

Accounting CS data locations and notes

Field/Line Calculated? Data location Field Notes
Employer identification number EIN) No Setup > Clients > Main tab EIN/SSN  
Name (not your trade name) No Payroll name  
Trade name (if any) No DBA name  
Address  No Setup > Clients > Main tab Business address line 1

If the client has separate mailing and taxing addresses, be sure that the address that should appear on this form is entered as the Business address.  Show me.

Business address 
Address No Business address line 2  
Address No Business address City, State, ZIP  
Address, Foreign country name No Setup > Clients > Main tab > Business address State Country If this is a foreign state or country not available in the drop-down list, you will need to override this information in the Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms screen.
Address, Foreign province/county No City
Address, Foreign postal code No ZIP
Report for this Quarter of 20xx No Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms or Actions > Process Payroll Tax Form screen Quarter Indicates the quarter selected in the drop-down list at the top of the Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms screen or the Actions > Process Payroll Tax Forms screen.
Line 1. Number of employees who received wages, tips, or other compensation Yes    

Based on payroll check period beginning and ending dates, the application determines the total number of employees on your payroll for the pay period including March 12, June 12, September 12, or December 12, for the quarter indicated at the top of Form 941. The total number of employees does not include:
   - Household employees
   - Employees in non-pay status for the pay period
   - Farm employees
   - Pensioners
   - Active members of the Armed Forces

You can choose to have the application calculate the total number of employee based on employee status rather than payroll check period end dates by going to the Setup > Clients > Payroll Information tab of your client and marking the Calculate month 1-3 employee count on payroll tax forms based on active employee status checkbox.

Line 2. Wages, tips, and other compensation Yes     The application calculates the wages subject to withholding tax as follows: (Gross pay) - (FIT exempt pay items) – (FIT) - (pretax deduction items). Includes Third Party Sick Pay.
Line 3. Federal Income tax withheld from wages, tips, and other compensation Yes     Calculates the Federal Income Tax amount withheld on payroll checks. Third Party Sick Pay (TPSP) withholding is not included.
Line 4. If no wages, tips, and other compensation are subject to social security or Medicare tax Yes     This checkbox is marked automatically if Lines 5a – 5d are $0.00 (blank).
Line 5a. Taxable social security wages Yes     Calculates the taxable social security wages as follows: (FICA-SS taxable payroll items) – (Reported Tips special type pay items) – (FICA-SS pretax deduction items).  Third Party Sick Pay is included.
Line 5b. Taxable social security tips Yes    

Includes any payroll items set up as special type Reported Tips and Indirect Tips.

Note: If an employee goes over the FICA-SS taxable wage limit, the program uses the reported tips first on the check where the limit was reached.

Line 5c. Taxable Medicare wages & tips Yes     Calculates the Taxable Medicare wages & tips as follows: (Gross pay) – (FICA-MED exempt pay items) – (FICA-MED pretax deduction items). Third Party Sick Pay is included.
Line 5d. Taxable wages & tips subject to additional Medicare Tax withholding Yes     Wages or tips in excess of $200,000 for any employee.
Line 5e. Add Column from Lines 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d Yes     Combines Lines 5a through 5d.
Line 5f. Section 3121(a) Notice and Demand--Tax due on unreported tips No Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms   Enter the tax due from your IRS Section 3121(q) Notice and Demand.
Line 6. Total taxes before adjustments Yes     Combines Lines 3, 5e, and 5f.
Line 7. Current quarter's adjustment for fractions of cents No Federal 94X Additional Information dialog (via the Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab) Fraction of cents limit Calculates to allow the rounding of fractions of cents so that Line 10 can more accurately match the total liability for quarter amount calculated on Line 16 (for monthly depositors) or Schedule B (for semiweekly depositors).
Line 8. Current quarter's adjustment for sick pay Yes     Subtracts the employees’ portion of Third Party Sick Pay for FICA-SS and FICA-MED.
Line 9. Current quarter's adjustments for tips and group-term life insurance No Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms   Enter adjustments for:
-Any uncollected employee share of social security and Medicare taxes on tips, and
-The uncollected employee share of social security and Medicare taxes on group-term life insurance premiums paid for former employees.
Line 10. Total taxes after adjustments Yes     Combines Lines 6 through 9. See What to do when data in Form 941, Line 12 does not match data in Line 16 or Schedule B.
Line 11. Qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities No    

If you have completed Form 8974, enter the amount of the small business research credit that you are using. 

Note: If you enter an amount in Line 11, you will not be able to file Form 941 electronically, and must instead file a paper copy.

Line 12. Total taxes after adjustments and credits Yes     Subtract line 11 from line 10
Line 13. Total deposits for this quarter Yes     Reflects all payments made for the quarter by the printing of payroll liabilities / impound payments, and liabilities generated as “closed” for historical payroll checks via the Generate Liabilities dialog.
Line 14. Balance due Yes     Displays the difference when Line 12 is greater than Line 13.
Line 15. Overpayment No Federal 94X Additional Information dialog (via the Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab) Displays the difference when Line 13 is more than Line 12. The  Apply to next return or Send a refund checkbox is marked automatically based on the selection made in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialog.
Line 16. Mark one of the checkboxes. No Federal 94X Additional Information dialog (via the Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab) Ignore deposit threshold when calculating line 16 The checkbox selection is based on the deposit threshold and the federal deposit schedule selected in the Payroll Taxes tab of the Setup > Clients screen.  Only the first checkbox is marked (Line 12 on this return is less than $2,500 etc) if it applies, and if the Ignore deposit threshold when calculating line 16 checkbox is not marked in the 94X Additional Information dialog.
Line 17. If your business has closed or you stopped paying wages No Setup > Clients > Main tab Inactive date Marks the checkbox and enters the date if an Inactive date is entered within the selected quarter and Inactive reason of “Business closed” is selected. See 94x: If your business has closed or stopped paying wages.
Line 18. If you area seasonal employer No Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab  Seasonal employer  
Part 4 May we speak with your third-party designee? No Federal 94X Additional Information dialog (via the Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab) Third party designee If yes, select the third-party designee from the drop-down list in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialog. (The list contains staff members who are specified as a payroll form preparer and who have a third party designee PIN entered in the Staff screen). If no, Third party designee should be None (default).
Part 4 May we speak with your third-party designee? No Setup > Firm Information > Staff Business phone number The application uses the business phone number and third-party designee PIN entered in the Staff screen for the staff member selected as the third-party designee in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialogIf no, Third party designee should be None (default).
Part 4 May we speak with your third-party designee? No Third party designee PIN
Part 5 Sign here, image No Federal 94X Additional Information dialog (via the Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab) Taxpayer signature image
Part 5 Sign here, date No Current System Date   The taxpayer and preparer signature dates always default to the current system date unless the Suppress date checkbox is marked in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialog. To use a different signature date, enter it in the Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms screen.
Part 5 Sign here, Print your name here No Federal 94X Additional Information dialog (via the Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab) Taxpayer The names available in the Taxpayer drop-down list in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialog are client additional contacts specified as a Payroll form signer in the Main tab of the Setup > Clients screen and firm additional contacts specified as a Reporting Agent in the Main tab of the Setup > Firm Information > Firm screen.
Part 5 Sign here, Print your title here No Setup > Clients > Main tab > Additional Contacts or from Setup > Firm Information > Firm > Main tab Title  
Part 5 Sign here, Best daytime phone No Setup > Clients > Main tab > Additional Contacts or from Setup > Firm Information > Firm > Main tab > Additional Contacts Business phone number  
Paid Preparer Use only, Check if you are self-employed No Setup > Firm Information > Firm Social Security number The Self-employed checkbox is not marked when an EIN is entered in the Main tab of the Setup > Firm screen.
Paid Preparer Use only, Preparer's name No Federal 94X Additional Information dialog (via the Setup > Clients > Payroll Taxes tab) Preparer The names available in the Preparer drop-down list in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialog are staff members that have the Payroll form preparer checkbox marked in the Main tab of the Setup > Firm Information > Staff screen.
Paid Preparer Use only, Preparer's signature N/A     This field cannot be populated by the application per IRS specifications.
Paid Preparer Use only, Firm's name (or yours if self-employed) No Setup > Firm Information > Firm   The application uses the alternate firm name if the firm is using the Alternative Preparer Block license and the client is set up for live payroll processing. It uses the primary firm name if the firm is using the Alternate Preparer Block license and the client is set up for after-the-fact payroll.
Paid Preparer Use only, EIN No EIN/SSN The EIN field is blank if a Social Security number is entered.
Paid Preparer Use only, Address, City, State, ZIP No Setup > Firm Information > Firm > Address Business, City, State, ZIP The application uses the alternate firm address if the firm is using the Alternative Preparer Block license and the client is set up for live payroll processing. It uses the primary firm address if the firm is using the Alternate Preparer Block license and the client is set up for after-the-fact payroll.
Paid Preparer Use only, PTIN No Setup > Firm Information > Staff PTIN The application uses the PTIN from the staff member selected as preparer for the client.
Paid Preparer Use only, Phone No Setup > Firm Information > Staff  Business phone number The application uses the business phone number for the staff member selected as preparer for the client.
Paid Preparer Use only, Date No Current System Date   The taxpayer and preparer signature dates always default to the current system date unless the Suppress date checkbox is marked in the Federal 94X Additional Information dialog. To use a different signature date, enter it in the Actions > Edit Payroll Tax Forms screen.

Related topics

94x forms, overview

What to do when data in Form 941, Line 12 does not match data in Line 16 or Schedule B

How to add a signature and signer information to Part 5 of the 941

941 Line 17: If your business has closed or stopped paying wages

941 Schedule B

941 Schedule D

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