Payroll guides
Plain-English how-tos for owners who run their own payroll. Each one cites the IRS, SSA or state source it's based on.
How to run S-corp owner payroll yourself
If you own a small S corporation and work in the business, you are also an employee. That means you run payroll for yourself, and maybe for a few other...
How to pay yourself from an S corporation
If you own an S corporation and work in it, you are usually two things at once: a shareholder and an employee. That split decides how you take money...
How to set a reasonable salary as an S-corp owner
If you own an S corporation and work in it, the IRS expects you to pay yourself a salary before you take distributions. The hard part is the amount. No...
How to make an EFTPS payroll tax deposit (Form 941)
When you run payroll, you hold back federal taxes from each paycheck. You also owe the employer share of Social Security and Medicare. The IRS expects...
Payroll tax deposit schedules: monthly vs. semiweekly
When you run payroll yourself, you hold the federal income tax you withheld plus the Social Security and Medicare taxes for each paycheck. You then...
How to file Form 941 yourself
If you run payroll for your S corporation, you file Form 941 every quarter. The form reports the federal income tax you withheld from paychecks. It...
Form 940 and FUTA tax: a do-it-yourself guide
If you run payroll for your own S corporation, you owe federal unemployment tax (FUTA) and you file Form 940 once a year. The form is short, and the...
How to file W-2s and W-3 through SSA Business Services Online
If you run payroll for your own S corporation, you file Forms W-2 and W-3 yourself once a year. Most small employers do this online through the Social...
Oklahoma payroll withholding basics for small employers
If you pay yourself or a few employees in Oklahoma, you have state payroll duties on top of federal ones. You withhold state income tax from wages,...
OkTAP withholding registration and Form WTH-10001
If your S corporation pays wages for work done in Oklahoma, you need an Oklahoma withholding account before you run your first payroll. That includes...
Oklahoma OES-3 quarterly unemployment report: how to file with OESC
If you run payroll for your own S corporation in Oklahoma, you owe a state unemployment report every quarter. The Oklahoma Employment Security...
S-corp payroll calendar: every deadline in the year
When you run payroll yourself, you have to track the deadlines too. Most missed payroll deadlines come from not knowing a date was coming. This guide...
Year-end payroll checklist for small employers
When you run payroll for your own S corporation, the end of the year brings extra paperwork. You still have your regular deposits and quarterly...
Payroll tax penalties and how to avoid them
When you run payroll yourself, you take on every deadline a payroll service would track for you. Most payroll tax penalties come from a few common...
Switching from Gusto or OnPay to do-it-yourself payroll
Many small S-corporation owners start with a payroll service such as Gusto or OnPay. Later, some decide to run payroll themselves. You might want more...