As the old saying goes, nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes. In the income and tax world, corporations, small businesses, and other employers must use forms to keep track of income earned by employees or independent contractors.
Here are the four most common tax forms you, as a small business owner, will want to be familiar with:
Form W-2
The W-2 form is used to report payroll information to your employees and the federal and state governments at the end of each year. Some of the information reported on the W-2 form are:
- Wages, tips and other compensation
- Federal income tax withheld
- Social Security tax withheld
- Medicare tax withheld
- State income tax withheld
As a business owner, you must give each employee a copy of their W-2 form after the new year.
Form W-4
The federal Withholding Allowance Certificate, Form W-4, must be completed so that you know how much federal income tax to withhold from your new employee's wages. Form W-4 is also utilized by the state to As a formal record of important information about the employed individual.
If for some reason an employee does not file one, you must withhold tax as if the employee had claimed no exemptions. If a married employee does not claim married status on Form W-4, the employer must withhold on the basis of the "single employee" withholding tables.
Form W-9
Form W-9 is used to request that someone provide a valid Tax Identification Number (TIN). If you receive more than $600 from someone else, the payor will use Form W-9 to request your TIN.
The W-9 certifies that the TIN you have provided your employer is correct, that you are not subject to backup withholding, and also claims exemption from backup withholding. (Usually, the TIN is the Social Security number or the Employer Identification Number.)
Form 1099
If you pay a non-employee more than $600, you must issue a Form 1099 reporting the payment. In order to correctly complete the 1099 form, you must know the recipient's tax identification number, which you would receive with Form W-9.
1099 forms are typically used for independent contractors or freelancers as a record of the income they received. On a 1099 Form, there will not be any deductions for federal and state income taxes, deferred compensation, social security, or medical deductions.
Access all your necessary tax forms for free here: WBS 2009 TAX FORMS