Form 945

Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax

What Form 945 is for

Form 945 covers non-payroll withholding. Where Form 941 handles tax withheld from wages, Form 945 handles income tax withheld from everything else: pension and annuity distributions, IRA distributions, gambling winnings, military retirement, Indian gaming profits, and backup withholding on payments reported on information returns. This is the return a business reaches for when it has had to apply backup withholding to a 1099 payee whose TIN failed matching - the withheld amount is reported here, and on the 1099 itself.

Who files it

Schedules that attach to it

Form 945-A

Annual Record of Federal Tax Liability

Attached by semiweekly schedule depositors reporting non-payroll withholding.

Deposit schedule

Whether you deposit monthly or semiweekly depends on your lookback period, not on this form. Publication 15 (Circular E) sets the rule, and it is worth checking each year - the schedule can change when your liability does.

IRS Publication 15

Common questions

Where does backup withholding get reported?

Twice. The amount withheld goes in the federal income tax withheld box of the information return - box 4 on most 1099s - and the total for the year is reported on Form 945.

Do I file Form 945 if I withheld nothing?

No. Form 945 is filed only for years in which non-payroll withholding actually occurred.

Can non-payroll withholding go on Form 941?

No. Wage and non-payroll withholding are reported separately, and mixing them is a common source of notices.

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