Do You Need to File Form 941 Online for Your Trucking Business?

If you own a small trucking business, it can be tough to know which taxes you’re required to file.

IRS tax Form 941 is a quarterly tax, and the 3rd quarter 941 deadline is November 2, 2020.

Check out this article for information on the 941 federal tax form to determine whether or not you need to file before the November 2nd 941 deadline.

IRS Tax Form 941

What is the Form 941 Tax Return?

IRS Tax Form 941 is the employer’s quarterly tax return.

It is used to report employment taxes. All employers are responsible for withholding federal income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax from each employee’s salary.

The IRS Tax Form 941 is also used to calculate the employer’s portion of Social Security and Medicare tax. 

Do You Need to File 941 Form 2020 for Your Trucking Business?

The first question to ask yourself is, “Do I have employees?”

If you own and operate a business with employees, you’ll need to file Form 941 online.

Note: Independent contractors are not considered employees.

If you have independent contractors, you are not responsible for withholding taxes, you are simply responsible for paying the gross wage agreed upon in the contract.

Therefore, if you only have independent contractors working for you, you do not need to file 941 Form 2020.

The second question is, “Is my trucking business an S-corporation?”

S-corporations, or S-corps, are taxed on a pass-through basis, like sole proprietorships or partnerships.

Due to this, the S-corp does not pay tax on its profits. Instead, those profits pass on to shareholders who are taxed on it as part of their personal income.

Even though an S-corp may have no employees in the traditional sense (people working for the business without ownership stake), for tax purposes, any shareholder who performs duties on behalf of the business may be treated as a shareholder-employee.

Therefore, the money each shareholder receives in dividends may be treated as income, meaning you’ll need to file Form 941 online.

How to File Form 941 Online

If, after these two questions, you’ve determined that you need to file Form 941 for 2020, check out TaxBandits.

In just a few minutes, you could be done filing your Form 941 tax return. Don’t wait until the 941 deadline - knock it out now!

Here’s how it works:

1.  Create a free TaxBandits account
2.  Choose Form 941 for 2020
3.  Enter your employer details
4.  Follow the interview-style process
5.  Pay & transmit your Form 941 tax return

Still unsure if you need to file a 941 federal tax form?

Give the TaxBandits support team a call at 704-684-4751 and speak with a live, US-based agent who can help you determine whether you need to file a Form 941 for 2020. 

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How To Set Up Your Trucking Business For Success

Starting a trucking company is a great step into the ever-growing trucking industry.

Truck drivers account for about 6% of full-time jobs in the US, which will only grow as consumer demand for products does.

Owning a truck might be nice, but owning a successful trucking business is where you really want to focus.

Here are 3 tips for success as an owner-operator, leased operator, or fleet manager in the trucking industry.

Tips for Owning a Trucking Business

Understanding the Industry

Keep up with the latest news regarding the trucking industry. Stay on top of trends.

Plus, it’s important to have an understanding of what your future customers want and know how to take care of them better than your competitors.

Consider how you find customers who will give you repeat business, and determine what you need to do to keep them.

Understanding Business

Business is all about maximizing profit and minimizing expenses.

The trucking business is the same.

For starters, be sure you’re finding the best-paying loads. You can do this by knowing the current lane rates, researching which freight markets are hot, and always looking ahead to your next load.

Focus on cutting costs where you can, but more importantly, know where to step ahead and grab profit.

Stop throwing money away on unnecessary things. For instance, did you file your Form 2290 yet this year? If not, you’ve missed the 2290 due date and will face severe IRS penalties that only get worse with time. 

File now over the phone with TSNAmerica at 803.386.0320 to keep your money in your pocket.

Managing Time and Paperwork

Most importantly, your trucking business’s success depends on your ability to juggle all things at once.

Luckily, we know of the perfect tool to help you.

TruckLogics is a trucking company software program designed to take the paperwork out of trucking business for owner-operators, leased operators, and fleet managers.

With tons of unique features, you won’t believe how easy it makes your day-to-day tasks.

Owner-operators can use TruckLogics to manage their entire business. 

From managing dispatches and tracking income & expenses, to scheduling maintenance and sending invoices, it’s the one-stop-shop for your trucking business to make it happen.

Plus, leased operators can use TruckLogics to streamline record-keeping. Track income, run profit & loss reports and keep compliance records for your maintenance and trip details.

TruckLogics even has tools for fleet managers, including access to TruckZone, which keeps fleet details organized and accessible. You can even set automatic reminders for vehicle maintenance.

It truly is an all-inclusive trucking company software program.

Owning a trucking business can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be! Sign up for a free 15-day trial and give TruckLogics a test drive today.

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It's Crunch Time! The IRS Deadline is Tomorrow

Time to File Your Tax Forms!

You only have one day left!

Tomorrow, January 31st is the deadline for your IRS Form 1099, IRS Form W-2, and IRS Form 940 or 941! As a trucking business owner, you have to make sure your employee and contractor tax forms are filed on time. The differences can be confusing, but TSNAmerica has parented with our sister product Taxbandits to provide you with everything you need to file on time!

Before we jump into it let’s review the basics.

What You Need to Know About the 2018 1099-Misc Form, W-2, & More

Knowing what tax forms you are required to file and how to submit them on time is important for you as a business owner, your employees, subcontractors, and anyone else you paid during the previous tax season. However, depending on various factors, they may require different or even multiple forms.

IRS Form W-2 is for reporting your employees’ wages and other compensation.

IRS Form 1099-MISC is for reporting payments made freelance drivers, leased owner-operators, or other contracted workers in your trucking fleet.

IRS Form 941 is used to report employment taxes for those who own and operate a business with employees, including adjustments for tips, sick pay, and any overpayment or underpayment made during the tax season. Like your IFTA report, IRS Form 941 is a quarterly Federal Tax Return and must be filed as such.

IRS Form 940 is an annual federal tax report form used to document and pay unemployment taxes. The form calculates the employer's federal unemployment tax liability, adjusts for any state unemployment taxes paid, and calculates any due unemployment taxes from there. The form also compares unemployment tax due for the year to the taxes already paid.

Don't forget, you may need to file one or more of these forms by the deadline tomorrow! Also, remember to file your 4th Quarter IFTA report with your base jurisdiction! 

Start Your Free Account Today!

Pay Only When You Transmit!

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Packages for the New Entrant

You’ve made the decision. The time has come to operate on your own. Now let TSNA get you started. The trucking business is one of the most regulated industries in the country. Getting started on the right foot is crucial. Missteps and non-compliance can cost new carriers thousands of dollars and possibly their operating authority. Recent legislation requires new entrants to pass a mandatory DOT audit within the first 18 months of operations.

Our New Entrant Basic package includes obtaining your EIN (Employer Identification Number), US DOT Number and handles your BOC-3 filing.  We will also identify your Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) registration requirements and complete and submit all required forms to FMCSA in order for you to obtain your authority.

With Our New Entrant Plus package, we will also file your Form 2290 for Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes, required by the IRS and set up your IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) accounts and Weight Distance account if you will be conducting business in New York, New Mexico, Kentucky and/or Oregon.  We have additional services to get your state registrations and permits in place.

As a premier process service agency, Truck Services of North America provides the services and tools to help start your business and keep it compliant. Let TSNA navigate your business through the maze of paperwork! TSNA takes the paperwork out of your way.  Contact us at TSNAmerica.com or call us at 803.386.0320.

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What is an EIN (Employer Identification Number)?

An EIN is an Employer Identification Number, also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to verify a business entity.  If you are filing Form 2290 for Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT), you will also need an EIN to file the return. The IRS will no longer accept Social Security Numbers for the Form 2290.

If you do not have an EIN, you can apply for one online through the IRS website or if you don’t have the time or unable to get to a computer, you can have a service provider, like Truck Services of North America to do it for you.

Please note that if you obtain a new EIN it takes approximately 10 business days for the EIN to become active within the IRS' e-file system, so if you do not have an EIN and will need to file Form 2290, you will not want to wait until the last minute to get yours. If you do not have your EIN, give TSNA a call at 803.386.0320 and we’ll take care of it for you.

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