(a) Federal Insurance Contributions Act and income tax withheld from wages and from nonpayroll payments—(1) Quarterly or annual returns. Except as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, each return required to be made under §31.6011(a)-1, in respect of the taxes imposed by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (26 U.S.C. 3101-3128), or required to be made under §31.6011(a)-4, in respect of income tax withheld, shall be filed on or before the last day of the first calendar month following the period for which it is made. A return may be filed on or before the 10th day of the second calendar month following such period if timely deposits under section 6302(c) of the Code and the regulations have been made in full payment of such taxes due for the period.

(2) Monthly tax returns. Each return in respect of the taxes imposed by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act or of income tax withheld which is required to be made under paragraph (a) of §31.6011(a)-5 shall be filed on or before the fifteenth day of the first calendar month following the period for which it is made.

(3) Information returns—(i) General rule. Each information return in respect of wages as defined in the Federal Insurance Contributions Act or of income tax withheld from wages as required under §31.6051-2 must be filed on or before January 31 of the year following the calendar year for which it is made, except that, if a tax return under §31.6011(a)-5(a) is filed as a final return for a period ending prior to December 31, the information return must be filed on or before the last day of the first month following the period for which the tax return is filed.

(ii) Expedited filing. If an employer who is required to make a return pursuant to §31.6011(a)-1 or §31.6011(a)-4 is required to make a final return on Form 941, or a variation thereof, under §31.6011(a)-6(a)(1) (relating to the final return for Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes and income tax withholding from wages), the return which is required to be made under §31.6051-2 must be filed on or before the last day of the first month following the period for which the final return is filed. The requirements set forth in this paragraph (a)(3)(ii) do not apply to employers with respect to employees whose wages are for domestic service in the private home of the employer. See §31.6011(a)-1(a)(3).

(4) Employee returns under Federal Insurance Contributions Act. A return of employee tax under section 3101 required under paragraph (d) of §31.6011(a)-1 to be made by an individual for a calendar year on Form 1040 shall be filed on or before the due date of such individual's return of income (see §1.6012-1 of this chapter (Income Tax Regulations)) for the calendar year, or, if the individual makes his return of income on a fiscal year basis, on or before the due date of his return of income for the fiscal year beginning in the calendar year for which a return of employee tax is required. A return of employee tax under section 3101 required under paragraph (d) of §31.601(a)-1 to be made for a calendar year—

(i) On Form 1040SS or Form 1040PR, or

(ii) On Form 1040 by an individual who is not required to make a return of income for the calendar year or for a fiscal year beginning in such calendar year,

shall be filed on or before the 15th day of the fourth month following the close of the calendar year.

(b) Railroad Retirement Tax Act. Each return of the taxes imposed by the Railroad Retirement Tax Act required to be made under §31.6011(a)-2 shall be filed on or before the last day of the second calendar month following the period for which it is made.

(c) Federal Unemployment Tax Act. Each return of the tax imposed by the Federal Unemployment Tax Act required to be made under §31.6011(a)-3 shall be filed on or before the last day of the first calendar month following the period for which it is made. However, a return may be filed on or before the 10th day of the second calendar month following such period if timely deposits under section 6302(c) of the Code and the regulations thereunder have been made in full payment of such taxes due for the period.

(d) Last day for filing. For provisions relating to the time for filing a return when the prescribed due date falls on Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, see the provisions of §301.7503-1 of this chapter (Regulations on Procedure and Administration).

(e) Late filing. For additions to the tax in case of failure to file a return within the prescribed time, see the provisions of §301.6651-1 of this chapter (Regulations on Procedure and Administration).

(f) Cross reference. For extensions of time for filing returns and other documents, see §31.6081(a)-1.

(g) Applicability date. This section applies to returns filed on or after January 30, 2020. Section 31.6071(a)-1T (as contained in 26 CFR part 31, revised April 2019) applies to returns filed before January 30, 2020.

[T.D. 6516, 25 FR 13032, Dec. 20, 1960, as amended by T.D. 6941, 32 FR 18041, Dec. 16, 1967; T.D. 7001, 34 FR 1005, Jan. 23, 1969; T.D. 7078, 35 FR 18525, Dec. 5, 1970; T.D. 7351, 40 FR 17146, Apr. 17, 1975; T.D. 7953, 49 FR 19644, May 9, 1984; T.D. 8504, 58 FR 68035, Dec. 23, 1993; T.D. 8895, 65 FR 50408, Aug. 18, 2000; T.D. 8952, 66 FR 33832, June 26, 2001; T.D. 9239, 71 FR 14, Jan. 3, 2006; T.D. 9507, 75 FR 75900, Dec. 7, 2010; T.D. 9524, 76 FR 26602, May 9, 2011; T.D. 9566, 76 FR 77675, Dec. 14, 2011; T.D. 9586, 77 FR 24612, Apr. 25, 2012; T.D. 9821, 82 FR 33448, July 20, 2017; T.D. 9892, 85 FR 5327, Jan. 30, 2020]