Form 8919: Understanding the IRS Form for Uncollected Social Security and Medicare Taxes
If you’re a worker and you’ve been previously incorrectly treated as a worker status or an independent contractor when you should be considered an employee, you may be required to use Form 8919 to pay Social Security and Medicare tax.
Using Form 8919 is essential because it helps ensure that you are fulfilling your tax obligations properly. As mentioned earlier, the form is used to report uncollected Social Security and Medicare taxes that should have been withheld from your paycheck that same tax year if you were classified as an employee. By using this form, you are essentially making up for the employer’s failure to withhold these taxes from your wages.
If you fail to pay the correct amount of Social Security and Medicare tax, you could face penalties and additional taxes owed. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) takes tax compliance seriously, and failing to report and pay taxes accurately can lead to severe consequences. These penalties and tax implications can include fines, interest charges, and even legal action.
Benefits of Using Form 8919
This form can not only help you avoid potential tax problems, but it can also provide other benefits.
One such benefit is that the form can help you establish your employment status with the IRS. By reporting the uncollected taxes on your wages, you are essentially indicating that you were an employee for tax purposes. This can be useful in establishing your employment status and eligibility for certain employee benefits and protections, such as unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, and health insurance.
Another benefit of using this payment method is that it can help protect your future Social Security benefits. Social Security benefits are based on the amount of Social Security taxes that you have paid throughout your working career.
By reporting the uncollected Social Security taxes on your wages, you are ensuring that these wages are included in your Social Security earnings record. This can help you receive the correct amount of Social Security benefits when you become eligible.
In addition to workers who have been misclassified as independent contractors, there are other situations where workers may be eligible to use such forms. For example, workers who were employed by a foreign government or international organization and are exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes under a totalization agreement may use the form to report uncollected taxes on wages that are not covered by the agreement.
Contractors
It’s important to note that not all misclassified workers are eligible to use this form. If you were self-employed or working as an independent contractor at tax time and should have been considered an employee, you are not eligible to use the form. Additionally, if you were classified as an employee last tax year but were still not an independent contractor and paid wages subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, such as if you were a student working on campus, you are also not eligible to use the form.
Disregarded entities
In addition to tipped employees and workers who were misclassified as independent contractors, there are other situations where workers may use the form. For example, workers who were employed by a former health insurance company that was later determined to have been a “disregarded entity” for their income tax withholding purposes may use the form to report the yet-to-be-collected Social Security and Medicare taxes on their wages.
Labor law violators
Another common use of this form is for workers who were employed by a company that was later found to have violated labor laws. In these cases, the company may be ordered to reclassify the workers as employees and pay any uncollected Social Security and Medicare taxes, unreported tips, or allocated tips on their behalf. However, if the company fails to do so, the workers may use this to report the uncollected taxes themselves.
FAQ About Form 8919: Uncollected Social Security and Medicare Tax on Wages
You can use the Social Security and Medicare tax rates for the year in question to calculate the amount of taxes owed on the unreported wages. You can find the current tax rates on the IRS website.
You can file Form SS-8 with the IRS to request a determination of the worker status of your classification. This form will require you to provide information about your working relationship with your employer.
No, filing Form 8919 will not affect your eligibility for Social Security benefits. In fact, by reporting the uncollected taxes, you are helping to ensure that you are paying your fair share into the Social Security system.
" Undoubtedly one of the best eSignature application available in the market right now. Would love to recommend Fill. "
Liam Washington Capterra
Ready to get started with this template?
Click the button below to add this template to your account. If you do not have an account, you can sign up for a free trial to start using this template.