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Glossary · Payroll term

Monthly depositor

An employer with $50,000 or less of federal payroll taxes in the lookback period; deposits are due the 15th of the following month.

A monthly depositor is an IRS classification for employers whose total federal payroll tax liability during the lookback period was $50,000 or less. Monthly depositors deposit each calendar month's accumulated payroll taxes by the 15th of the following month — January's taxes by February 15, February's by March 15, and so on. If the 15th falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline shifts forward to the next banking day.

New employers without a complete lookback period default to monthly until they accumulate enough lookback-period liability to convert to semi-weekly. Most small businesses with fewer than 10 employees stay monthly indefinitely; mid-sized businesses typically convert to semi-weekly somewhere between 10 and 25 full-time employees, depending on average wage levels.

The next-day deposit rule (single payroll over $100,000 accumulated liability) overrides the monthly classification for the rest of that calendar year and the entire following year.


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