This training is all about backup withholding – the forgotten piece of the 1099 world. Backup withholding is income tax withholding on payments to contractors (or other 1099’able payments). You’ve probably heard of backup withholding, or at least seen the box on the 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC for “federal income tax withheld,” but most people have never really thought about what this means. That’s not speculation – the Treasury Inspector General has studied the issue of businesses who should be doing backup withholding and who are not doing it – it happens over 400,000 times a year. Backup withholding is required in situations where you don’t have your contractor’s taxpayer ID number at the time you pay them, and in certain CP-2100 letter situations (if the contractor doesn’t reply to your B Notice within 30 days and you pay them again). This training will dive into backup withholding, when it’s required, how you report it (Form 945), and what happens if the IRS comes calling. We will also look at a recent court case where the IRS tried to assess $1.2 million against a small business that didn’t do backup withholding when it should have.
Agenda/Learning Outcomes:
- Define what backup withholding is
- Understand the situations where backup withholding needs to be done
- Understand how you do backup withholding
- Understand how you report backup withholding (Form 945)
- Understand the IRS’s perspective of audits of backup withholding, and the perspective of courts
- Understand best practices to avoid problems, such as proper use of Form W-9
