The end-of-the-year reminders about filing taxes will be starting soon. If you’re a small business owner with general tax questions, or if you need a gentle nudge about key filing and reporting dates, the IRS offers a free tax calendar just for you!
The Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and Self-Employed can help you navigate the tax year even as new legislation and tax provisions are introduced throughout the year. Available online in both English and Spanish, the calendar lets you view due dates and actions by month, filtering them by employer, excise or general event types.
The IRS tax calendar is updated frequently and provides critical business tax management tools for small business owners. It is available in several different formats to suit your preferences:
• Online. Simply bookmark the link and it will load information for the current month. There are handy tabs for previous and upcoming months, as well as key dates from the last year. Use the filter option to sort and view tax dates. For example, employers can view the very specific requirements they must comply with, such as depositing payroll and FUTA taxes, reporting tips, and furnishing 1099 and W-2 forms.
• Desktop App. The IRS CalendarConnector is a customizable tool that can be installed on your computer, giving you access to important tax dates right from your desktop. You can specify the types of events you wish to view (general, employer, excise or all) and how they are displayed (by day, week or month). New events will be automatically updated via the desktop tool.
• Wall Calendar. This colorful, glossy and free calendar offers the same key dates and reminders as the versions above, plus user-friendly tips and guides that help explain key elements of business taxes and tax law. It’s available to pre-order in on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Outlook Add-On. This option offers even more ease-of-use. Download the calendar and incorporate it into Microsoft Outlook.
Other online IRS resources for small businesses that are worth checking out include the IRS Virtual Small Business Tax Workshop, a self-paced interactive online tax information and training tool; the IRS Video Portal offering quick video clips and webinars explaining a variety of tax topics; an online Retirement Plans Navigator to help employers find and compare a variety of retirement plan options based on their particular requirements; the A-Z Index for Business page which provides easy access to all business tax topics; and the IRS’s Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center, which consolidates tax information and links that every small business owner needs to know in one place.
Beth Longware Duff is a professional editor and award-winning writer whose work on a wide variety of topics has been published in print and electronic media. She currently writes on a wide range of topics dealing with electronic payment processing for Merchant Express.