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Form 940

What is Form 940?

Form 940, Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return, is used to calculate a business' annual Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax. The money from this tax goes towards paying unemployment compensation for those that have lost their jobs. Because this tax is paid by the business, it is not deducted from employee's paycheck. Using the business' information from the previous calendar year, the form must be filled out and submitted by the end of February.

Is My Business Eligible?

The most important thing to consider when filling out this paperwork is if your business is even required to pay this tax. If the following two requirements are met, your business must pay this tax:

  • The business must pay over $1,500 to its employees in any given calendar quarter
  • The business must have had one or more employees working in some capacity for at least 20 weeks of the year

If it is found that paying the FUTA tax is required, one must then fill out the form. There are 7 sections of this form which determines the base FUTA tax along with any adjustments required.

Determining Your Base FUTA Tax

Part two of Form 940 determines the base amount the business must pay before any adjustments are made. Since the first $7,000 of each employee's income is taxable by the FUTA tax, all payments to all employees throughout the last calendar year must be listed. Certain payments and fringe benefits are exempt from this listing. Consult a tax professional to see if any of yours are. Once the sum is found, it is multiplied by the effective tax rate. The resulting product is the base FUTA tax.

Calculating FUTA Tax Adjustments

If the business's expenses were not SUTA taxable, or if the employer paid wages in a credit reduction state, certain adjustments can be made to the FUTA tax to adjust for these changes. If some of the FUTA wages were exempt from the state unemployment tax, or if any of the state unemployment taxes are going to be paid late, other adjustments must also be made.

Other Considerations

The above steps are for standard business tax reports. The American tax system is extremely complicated, however, and the steps may change depending on a large variety of different circumstances. Please consult a tax professional if you are confused at any point while completing your taxes.

State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Tax Rates

Alabama

SUI Tax Rate: 0.14%-5.4%

Alaska

SUI Tax Rate: 1%-5.4%

Arizona

SUI Tax Rate: 0.05%-14.03%

Arkansas

SUI Tax Rate: 0.2%-10.1%

California

SUI Tax Rate: 1.5%-6.2%

Colorado

SUI Tax Rate: 0.81%-12.34%

Connecticut

SUI Tax Rate: 1.1%-7.8%

Delaware

SUI Tax Rate: 0.4%-5.4%

Florida

SUI Tax Rate: 0.10%-5.4%

Georgia

SUI Tax Rate: 0.04%-8.10%

Hawaii

SUI Tax Rate: 0.2%-5.8%

Idaho

SUI Tax Rate: 0.281%-5.4%

Illinois

SUI Tax Rate: 0.750%-7.850%

Indiana

SUI Tax Rate: 0.5%-9.4%

Iowa

SUI Tax Rate: 0.0%-7.0%

Kansas

SUI Tax Rate: 0.16%-6.0%

Kentucky

SUI Tax Rate: 0.3%-9.0%

Louisiana

SUI Tax Rate: 0.09%-6.2%

Maine

SUI Tax Rate: 0.00%-5.75%

Maryland

SUI Tax Rate: 0.30%-7.50%

Massachusetts

SUI Tax Rate: 0.83%-12.65%

Michigan

SUI Tax Rate: 0.06%-10.3%

Minnesota

SUI Tax Rate: 0.1%-9.0%

Mississippi

SUI Tax Rate: 0.20%-5.60%

Missouri

SUI Tax Rate: 0.0%-9.24%

Montana

SUI Tax Rate: 0.00%-6.12%

Nebraska

SUI Tax Rate: 0.0%-5.4%

Nevada

SUI Tax Rate: 0.25%-5.4%

New Hampshire

SUI Tax Rate: 0.1%-7.5%

New Jersey

SUI Tax Rate: 0.4825%-6.2825%

New Mexico

SUI Tax Rate: 0.33%-6.4%

New York

SUI Tax Rate: 2.1%-9.9%

North Carolina

SUI Tax Rate: 0.06%-5.76%

North Dakota

SUI Tax Rate: 0.08%-9.6%

Ohio

SUI Tax Rate: 0.4%-10.1%

Oklahoma

SUI Tax Rate: 0.3%-9.2%

Oregon

SUI Tax Rate: 0.9%-5.4%

Pennsylvania

SUI Tax Rate: 1.419%-14.4684%

Puerto Rico

SUI Tax Rate: 2.0%-5.4%

Rhode Island

SUI Tax Rate: 1.10%-9.70%

South Carolina

SUI Tax Rate: 0.06%-5.46%

South Dakota

SUI Tax Rate: 0%-9.35%

Tennessee

SUI Tax Rate: 0.01%-10%

Texas

SUI Tax Rate: 0.25%-6.25%

Utah

SUI Tax Rate: 0.3%-7.3%

Vermont

SUI Tax Rate: 0.4%-5.4%

Virginia

SUI Tax Rate: 0.10%-6.20%

Washington

SUI Tax Rate: 0.00%-8.12%

Washington DC

SUI Tax Rate: 1.9%-7.4%

West Virginia

SUI Tax Rate: 1.5%-8.5%

Wisconsin

SUI Tax Rate: 0.00%-12.00%

Wyoming

SUI Tax Rate: 0.14%-10.00%

This content is for educational purposes only, is not intended to provide specific legal advice, and should not be used as a substitute for the legal advice of a qualified attorney or other professional. The information may not reflect the most current legal developments, may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct, or up to date

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