Table of Contents
- Do You Have a Household Employee?
- Can Your Employee Legally Work in the United States?
- Do You Need To Pay Employment Taxes?
- Do You Need To Withhold Federal Income Tax?
- What Do You Need To Know About the Earned Income Credit?
- How Do You Make Tax Payments?
- What Forms Must You File?
- What Records Must You Keep?
- Can You Claim a Credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses?
- How Can You Correct Schedule H?
- How To Get Tax Help
You have a household employee if you hired someone to do household work and that worker is your employee. The worker is your employee if you can control not only what work is done, but how it is done. If the worker is your employee, it does not matter whether the work is full time or part time or that you hired the worker through an agency or from a list provided by an agency or association. It also does not matter whether you pay the worker on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis, or by the job.
Example.
You pay Betty Shore to babysit your child and do light housework 4 days a week in your home. Betty follows your specific instructions about household and child care duties. You provide the household equipment and supplies that Betty needs to do her work. Betty is your household employee.

When you hire a household employee to work for you on a regular basis, you and the employee must complete the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. No later than the first day of work, the employee must complete the employee section of the form by providing certain required information and attesting to his or her current work eligibility status in the United States. You must complete the employer section by examining documents presented by the employee as evidence of his or her identity and employment eligibility. Acceptable documents to establish identity and employment eligibility are listed on Form I-9. You should keep the completed Form I-9 in your own records. Do not submit it to the IRS, the USCIS, or any other government or other entity. The form must be kept available for review upon notice by an authorized U.S. Government official.
Two copies of Form I-9 are contained in the Handbook for Employers (Form M-274) published by the USCIS.


For more information, see Employee's Social Security Number (SSN) in Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide.
If you have a household employee, you may need to withhold and pay social security and Medicare taxes, pay federal unemployment tax, or both. To find out, read Table 1.
You do not need to withhold federal income tax from your household employee's wages. But if your employee asks you to withhold it, you can. See Do You Need To Withhold Federal Income Tax, later.
If you need to pay social security, Medicare, or federal unemployment tax or choose to withhold federal income tax, read Table 2 for an overview of what you may need to do.

| IF you ... | THEN you need to ... | |
| A– | Pay cash wages of $1,900 or more in 2014 to any one household employee. | Withhold and pay social security and Medicare taxes.
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Do not count wages you pay to—
|
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| B– | Pay total cash wages of $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter of 2013 or 2014 to household employees. | Pay federal unemployment tax.
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Do not count wages you pay to—
|
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| 1In addition to withholding Medicare tax at 1.45%, you must withhold a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax from wages you pay to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. You are required to begin withholding Additional Medicare Tax in the pay period in which you pay wages in excess of $200,000 to an employee and continue to withhold it each pay period until the end of the calendar year. Additional Medicare Tax is only imposed on the employee. There is no employer share of Additional Medicare Tax. All wages that are subject to Medicare tax are subject to Additional Medicare Tax withholding if paid in excess of the $200,000 withholding threshold. | ||
| Note. If neither A nor B above applies, you do not need to pay any federal employment taxes. But you may still need to pay state employment taxes. | ||
|
You may need to do the following things when you have a household employee.
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| When you hire a household employee: | □ Find out if the person can legally work in the United States. □ Find out if you need to pay state taxes. |
| When you pay your household employee: | □ Withhold social security and Medicare taxes. □ Withhold federal income tax. □ Decide how you will make tax payments. □ Keep records. |
| By February 2, 2015: | □ Get an employer identification number (EIN). □ Give your employee Copies B, C, and 2 of Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. |
| By March 2, 2015 (March 31, 2015, if you file Form W-2 electronically): | □ Send Copy A of Form W-2 to the Social Security Administration (SSA). |
| By April 15, 2015: | □ File Schedule H (Form 1040), Household Employment Taxes, with your 2014 federal income tax return (Form 1040, 1040NR, 1040-SS,
or Form 1041). If you do not have to file a return, file Schedule H by itself. |
The social security tax pays for old-age, survivors, and disability benefits for workers and their families. The Medicare tax pays for hospital insurance.
Both you and your household employee may owe social security and Medicare taxes. Your share is 7.65% (6.2% for social security tax and 1.45% for Medicare tax) of the employee's social security and Medicare wages. Your employee's share is also 7.65% (6.2% for social security tax and 1.45% for Medicare tax). In addition to withholding Medicare tax at 1.45%, you must withhold a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax from wages you pay to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. You are required to begin withholding Additional Medicare Tax in the pay period in which you pay wages in excess of $200,000 to an employee and continue to withhold it each pay period until the end of the calendar year. Additional Medicare Tax is only imposed on the employee. There is no employer share of Additional Medicare Tax. All wages that are subject to Medicare tax are subject to Additional Medicare Tax withholding if paid in excess of the $200,000 withholding threshold. For more information on Additional Medicare Tax, visit IRS.gov and enter “Additional Medicare Tax” in the search box.

You are responsible for payment of your employee's share of the taxes as well as your own. You can either withhold your employee's share from the employee's wages or pay it from your own funds. If you decide to pay the employee's share from your own funds, see Not withholding the employee's share, later. Pay the taxes as discussed under How Do You Make Tax Payments, later. Also, see What Forms Must You File, later.
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Your spouse.
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Your child who is under the age of 21.
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Your parent. Exception: Count these wages if both the following conditions apply.
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Your parent cares for your child who is either of the following.
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Under the age of 18, or
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Has a physical or mental condition that requires the personal care of an adult for at least 4 continuous weeks in the calendar quarter services were performed.
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Your marital status is one of the following.
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You are divorced and have not remarried,
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You are a widow or widower, or
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You are living with a spouse whose physical or mental condition prevents him or her from caring for your child for at least 4 continuous weeks in the calendar quarter services were performed.
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An employee who is under the age of 18 at any time during the year. Exception: Count these wages if providing household services is the employee's principal occupation. If the employee is a student, providing household services is not considered to be his or her principal occupation.
If you provide your employee transit passes to commute to your home, do not count the value of the transit passes (up to $130 per month for 2014) as wages. A transit pass includes any pass, token, fare card, voucher, or similar item entitling a person to ride on mass transit, such as a bus or train.
If you provide your employee parking at or near your home or at or near a location from which your employee commutes to your home, do not count the value of parking (up to $250 per month for 2014) as wages.
If you reimburse your employee for transit passes or parking, you may be able to exclude the reimbursement amounts. See Publication 15-B, Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits, for special requirements for this exclusion.
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(See Publication 15 (Circular E) for income tax withholding tables.)
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| Use this table to figure the amount of social security and Medicare taxes to withhold from each wage payment. For example, on a wage payment of $180, the employee social security tax is $11.16 ($6.20 tax on $100 plus $4.96 on $80 wages). The employee Medicare tax is $2.61 ($1.45 tax on $100 plus $1.16 on $80 wages). | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| If wage payment is: |
The social security tax to be withheld is: |
The Medicare tax to be withheld is: |
If wage payment is: |
The social security tax to be withheld is: |
The Medicare tax to be withheld is: |
||
| $ 1.00 | . | $ .06 | $ .01 | $ 51.00 | . | $ 3.16 | $ .74 |
| 2.00 | . | .12 | .03 | 52.00 | . | 3.22 | .75 |
| 3.00 | . | .19 | .04 | 53.00 | . | 3.29 | .77 |
| 4.00 | . | .25 | .06 | 54.00 | . | 3.35 | .78 |
| 5.00 | . | .31 | .07 | 55.00 | . | 3.41 | .80 |
| 6.00 | . | .37 | .09 | 56.00 | . | 3.47 | .81 |
| 7.00 | . | .43 | .10 | 57.00 | . | 3.53 | .83 |
| 8.00 | . | .50 | .12 | 58.00 | . | 3.60 | .84 |
| 9.00 | . | .56 | .13 | 59.00 | . | 3.66 | .86 |
| 10.00 | . | .62 | .15 | 60.00 | . | 3.72 | .87 |
| 11.00 | . | .68 | .16 | 61.00 | . | 3.78 | .88 |
| 12.00 | . | .74 | .17 | 62.00 | . | 3.84 | .90 |
| 13.00 | . | .81 | .19 | 63.00 | . | 3.91 | .91 |
| 14.00 | . | .87 | .20 | 64.00 | . | 3.97 | .93 |
| 15.00 | . | .93 | .22 | 65.00 | . | 4.03 | .94 |
| 16.00 | . | .99 | .23 | 66.00 | . | 4.09 | .96 |
| 17.00 | . | 1.05 | .25 | 67.00 | . | 4.15 | .97 |
| 18.00 | . | 1.12 | .26 | 68.00 | . | 4.22 | .99 |
| 19.00 | . | 1.18 | .28 | 69.00 | . | 4.28 | 1.00 |
| 20.00 | . | 1.24 | .29 | 70.00 | . | 4.34 | 1.02 |
| 21.00 | . | 1.30 | .30 | 71.00 | . | 4.40 | 1.03 |
| 22.00 | . | 1.36 | .32 | 72.00 | . | 4.46 | 1.04 |
| 23.00 | . | 1.43 | .33 | 73.00 | . | 4.53 | 1.06 |
| 24.00 | . | 1.49 | .35 | 74.00 | . | 4.59 | 1.07 |
| 25.00 | . | 1.55 | .36 | 75.00 | . | 4.65 | 1.09 |
| 26.00 | . | 1.61 | .38 | 76.00 | . | 4.71 | 1.10 |
| 27.00 | . | 1.67 | .39 | 77.00 | . | 4.77 | 1.12 |
| 28.00 | . | 1.74 | .41 | 78.00 | . | 4.84 | 1.13 |
| 29.00 | . | 1.80 | .42 | 79.00 | . | 4.90 | 1.15 |
| 30.00 | . | 1.86 | .44 | 80.00 | . | 4.96 | 1.16 |
| 31.00 | . | 1.92 | .45 | 81.00 | . | 5.02 | 1.17 |
| 32.00 | . | 1.98 | .46 | 82.00 | . | 5.08 | 1.19 |
| 33.00 | . | 2.05 | .48 | 83.00 | . | 5.15 | 1.20 |
| 34.00 | . | 2.11 | .49 | 84.00 | . | 5.21 | 1.22 |
| 35.00 | . | 2.17 | .51 | 85.00 | . | 5.27 | 1.23 |
| 36.00 | . | 2.23 | .52 | 86.00 | . | 5.33 | 1.25 |
| 37.00 | . | 2.29 | .54 | 87.00 | . | 5.39 | 1.26 |
| 38.00 | . | 2.36 | .55 | 88.00 | . | 5.46 | 1.28 |
| 39.00 | . | 2.42 | .57 | 89.00 | . | 5.52 | 1.29 |
| 40.00 | . | 2.48 | .58 | 90.00 | . | 5.58 | 1.31 |
| 41.00 | . | 2.54 | .59 | 91.00 | . | 5.64 | 1.32 |
| 42.00 | . | 2.60 | .61 | 92.00 | . | 5.70 | 1.33 |
| 43.00 | . | 2.67 | .62 | 93.00 | . | 5.77 | 1.35 |
| 44.00 | . | 2.73 | .64 | 94.00 | . | 5.83 | 1.36 |
| 45.00 | . | 2.79 | .65 | 95.00 | . | 5.89 | 1.38 |
| 46.00 | . | 2.85 | .67 | 96.00 | . | 5.95 | 1.39 |
| 47.00 | . | 2.91 | .68 | 97.00 | . | 6.01 | 1.41 |
| 48.00 | . | 2.98 | .70 | 98.00 | . | 6.08 | 1.42 |
| 49.00 | . | 3.04 | .71 | 99.00 | . | 6.14 | 1.44 |
| 50.00 | . | 3.10 | .73 | 100.00 | . | 6.20 | 1.45 |
| 1In addition to withholding Medicare tax at 1.45%, you must withhold a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax from wages you pay to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. You are required to begin withholding Additional Medicare Tax in the pay period in which you pay wages in excess of $200,000 to an employee and continue to withhold it each pay period until the end of the calendar year. Additional Medicare Tax is only imposed on the employee. There is no employer share of Additional Medicare Tax. All wages that are subject to Medicare tax are subject to Additional Medicare Tax withholding if paid in excess of the $200,000 withholding threshold. | |||||||

Example.
On February 13, 2014, Mary Brown hired Jane R. Oak (who is an unrelated individual over age 18) to care for her child and agreed to pay cash wages of $50 every Friday. Jane worked for the remainder of the year (a total of 46 weeks). Mary did not give Jane a Form W-4 to request federal or state tax withholding. The following is the information Mary will need to complete Schedule H, Form W-2, and Form W-3. See the completed examples of Form W-2 and Form W-3 for 2014 at the end of this publication.
| Total cash wages paid to Jane | $2,300.00 ($50 x 46 weeks) |
||
| Jane's share of: | |||
| Social security tax | $142.60 ($2,300 x 6.2% (.062)) |
||
| Medicare tax | $33.35 | ||
| ($2,300 x 1.45% (.0145)) | |||
| Mary's share of: | |||
| Social security tax | $142.60 ($2,300 x 6.2% (.062)) |
||
| Medicare tax | $33.35 ($2,300 x 1.45% (.0145)) |
||
| Amount reported on Form W-2 and Form W-3: | |||
| Box 1:Wages, tips | $2,300.00 | ||
| Box 4: Social security tax withheld | 142.60 | ||
| Box 6: Medicare tax withheld | 33.35 | ||
For information on withholding and reporting federal income taxes, see Publication 15 (Circular E).
Example.
In 2014 you hire a household employee (who is an unrelated individual over age 18) to care for your child and agree to pay cash wages of $100 every Friday. You expect to pay your employee $1,900 or more for the year. You decide to pay your employee's share of social security and Medicare taxes from your own funds. You pay your employee $100 every Friday without withholding any social security or Medicare taxes.
For social security and Medicare tax purposes, your employee's wages each payday are $100. For each wage payment, you will pay $15.30 when you pay the taxes. This is $7.65 ($6.20 for social security tax + $1.45 for Medicare tax) to cover your employee's share plus $7.65 ($6.20 for social security tax + $1.45 for Medicare tax) for your share. For income tax purposes, your employee's wages each payday are $107.65 ($100 + the $7.65 you will pay to cover your employee's share of social security and Medicare taxes).
The federal unemployment tax is part of the federal and state program under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) that pays unemployment compensation to workers who lose their jobs. Like most employers, you may owe both the federal unemployment tax (the FUTA tax) and a state unemployment tax. Or, you may owe only the FUTA tax or only the state unemployment tax. To find out whether you will owe state unemployment tax, contact your state's unemployment tax agency. For a list of state unemployment tax agencies, visit the U.S. Department of Labor's website at www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/agencies.asp. You should also find out if you need to pay or collect other state employment taxes or carry workers' compensation insurance.
The FUTA tax is 6.0% of your employee's FUTA wages. However, you may be able to take a credit of up to 5.4% against the FUTA tax, resulting in a net tax rate of 0.6%. Your credit for 2014 is limited unless you pay all the required contributions for 2014 to your state unemployment fund by April 15, 2015. The credit you can take for any contributions for 2014 that you pay after April 15, 2015, is limited to 90% of the credit that would have been allowable if the contributions were paid by April 15, 2015. (If you did not pay all the required contributions for 2013 by April 15, 2014, see Credit for 2013, later.)

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Your spouse.
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Your child who is under the age of 21.
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Your parent.

Form 1040.
| 1. | Enter the amount from Schedule H, line 22 | |
| 2. | Enter the amount from Schedule H, line 19 | |
| 3. | Subtract line 2 from line 1. If zero or less, enter -0- | |
| 4. | Enter total contributions paid to the state(s) after the Form 1040 due date | |
| 5. | Enter the smaller of line 3 or line 4 | |
| 6. | Multiply line 5 by .90 (90%) | |
| 7. | Add lines 2 and 6 | |
| 8. | Enter the smaller of the amount on line 1 or line 7 here and on Schedule H, line 23 |
You are not required to withhold federal income tax from wages you pay a household employee. You should withhold federal income tax only if your household employee asks you to withhold it and you agree. The employee must give you a completed Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate.
If you and your employee have agreed to withholding, either of you may end the agreement by letting the other know in writing.
If you agree to withhold federal income tax, you are responsible for paying it to the IRS. Pay the tax as discussed under How Do You Make Tax Payments, later. Also, see What Forms Must You File, later.
Use the income tax withholding tables in Publication 15 (Circular E) to find out how much to withhold. Figure federal income tax withholding on wages before you deduct any amounts for other withheld taxes. Withhold federal income tax from each payment of wages based on the filing status and exemptions shown on your employee's Form W-4. Publication 15 (Circular E) contains detailed instructions.
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Meals provided to your employee at your home for your convenience.
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Lodging provided to your employee at your home for your convenience and as a condition of employment.
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Up to $130 per month for 2014 for transit passes you give your employee (or for any cash reimbursement you make for the amount your employee pays for transit passes used to commute to your home if you qualify for this exclusion). A transit pass includes any pass, token, fare card, voucher, or similar item entitling a person to ride on mass transit, such as a bus or train. See Publication 15-B for special requirements for this exclusion.
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Up to $250 per month for 2014 for the value of parking you provide your employee or for any cash reimbursement you make for the amount your employee pays and substantiates for parking at or near your home or at or near a location from which your employee commutes to your home.
Certain workers can take the earned income credit (EIC) on their federal income tax return. This credit reduces their tax or allows them to receive a payment from the IRS. You also may have to give your employee a notice about the EIC.
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A substitute Form W-2 with the same EIC information on the back of the employee's copy that is on Copy B of the Form W-2.
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Notice 797, Possible Federal Tax Refund Due to the Earned Income Credit (EIC).
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Your own written statement with the same wording as in Notice 797.
When you file your 2014 federal income tax return in 2015, attach Schedule H (Form 1040) to your Form 1040, 1040NR, 1040-SS, or 1041. Use Schedule H to figure your total household employment taxes (social security, Medicare, FUTA, and withheld federal income taxes). Add these household employment taxes to your income tax. Pay the amount due by April 15, 2015. For more information about using Schedule H, see Schedule H under What Forms Must You File, later.
You can avoid owing tax with your return if you pay enough tax during the year to cover your household employment taxes, as well as your income tax. You can pay the additional tax in any of the following ways.
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Ask your employer to withhold more federal income tax from your wages in 2014.
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Ask the payer of your pension or annuity to withhold more federal income tax from your benefits.
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Make estimated tax payments for 2014 to the IRS.
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Increase your payments if you already make estimated tax payments.

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You will not have federal income tax withheld from wages, pensions, or any other payments you receive.
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Your income taxes, excluding your household employment taxes, would not be enough to require payment of estimated taxes.

You must file certain forms to report your household employee's wages and the federal employment taxes for the employee if you pay any of the following wages to the employee.
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Social security and Medicare wages.
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FUTA wages.
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Wages from which you withhold federal income tax.
For information on ordering employment tax forms, see How To Get Tax Help, later.

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Social security and Medicare wages of $1,900 or more.
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Wages from which you withhold federal income tax.
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Social security and Medicare wages of $1,900 or more.
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FUTA wages.
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Wages from which you withhold federal income tax.
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You can file Schedule H by itself. See the Schedule H instructions for details.
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If, besides your household employee, you have other employees for whom you report employment taxes on Form 941, Form 944, or Form 943 and on Form 940, you can include your taxes for your household employee on those forms. See Business employment tax returns, next.

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Your employee's cash and noncash wages.
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Any employee social security tax you withhold or agree to pay for your employee.
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Any employee Medicare tax you withhold or agree to pay for your employee.
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Any federal income tax you withhold.
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Any state employment taxes you withhold.
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Social security and Medicare wages of $1,900 or more.
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Wages from which you withhold federal income tax.


www.socialsecurity.gov/online/ss-5.pdf.
If your household employee cares for your dependent who is under age 13 or for your spouse or dependent who is not capable of self-care, you may be able to take an income tax credit against some of your expenses. To qualify, you must pay these expenses so you can work or look for work. If you can take the credit, you can include in your qualifying expenses your share of the federal and state employment taxes you pay, as well as the employee's wages. For information about the credit, see Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.
If you discover that you made an error on a Schedule H (or Anexo H-PR), the forms used to correct the error depend on whether the Schedule H was attached to another form or whether it was filed by itself.
Whether it's help with a tax issue, preparing your tax return or a need for a free publication or form, get the help you need the way you want it: online, use a smart phone, call or walk in to an IRS office or volunteer site near you.
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Download the free IRS2Go app from the iTunes app store or from Google Play. Use it to check your refund status, order transcripts of your tax returns or tax account, watch the IRS YouTube channel, get IRS news as soon as it's released to the public, subscribe to filing season updates or daily tax tips, and follow the IRS Twitter news feed, @IRSnews, to get the latest federal tax news, including information about tax law changes and important IRS programs.
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Check the status of your 2013 refund with the Where's My Refund? application on IRS.gov or download the IRS2Go app and select the Refund Status option. The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. Using these applications, you can start checking on the status of your return within 24 hours after we receive your e-filed return or 4 weeks after you mail a paper return. You will also be given a personalized refund date as soon as the IRS processes your tax return and approves your refund. The IRS updates Where's My Refund? every 24 hours, usually overnight, so you only need to check once a day.
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Use the Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA) to research your tax questions. No need to wait on the phone or stand in line. The ITA is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provides you with a variety of tax information related to general filing topics, deductions, credits, and income. When you reach the response screen, you can print the entire interview and the final response for your records. New subject areas are added on a regular basis.
Answers not provided through ITA may be found in Tax Trails, one of the Tax Topics on IRS.gov which contain general individual and business tax information or by searching the IRS Tax Map, which includes an international subject index. You can use the IRS Tax Map, to search publications and instructions by topic or keyword. The IRS Tax Map integrates forms and publications into one research tool and provides single-point access to tax law information by subject. When the user searches the IRS Tax Map, they will be provided with links to related content in existing IRS publications, forms and instructions, questions and answers, and Tax Topics. -
Coming this filing season, you can immediately view and print for free all 5 types of individual federal tax transcripts (tax returns, tax account, record of account, wage and income statement, and certification of non-filing) using Get Transcript. You can also ask the IRS to mail a return or an account transcript to you. Only the mail option is available by choosing the Tax Records option on the IRS2Go app by selecting Mail Transcript on IRS.gov or by calling 1-800-908-9946. Tax return and tax account transcripts are generally available for the current year and the past three years.
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Determine if you are eligible for the EITC and estimate the amount of the credit with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Assistant.
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Visit Understanding Your IRS Notice or Letter to get answers to questions about a notice or letter you received from the IRS.
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If you received the First Time Homebuyer Credit, you can use the First Time Homebuyer Credit Account Look-up tool for information on your repayments and account balance.
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Check the status of your amended return using Where's My Amended Return? Go to IRS.gov and enter Where's My Amended Return? in the search box. You can generally expect your amended return to be processed up to 12 weeks from the date we receive it. It can take up to 3 weeks from the date you mailed it to show up in our system.
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Make a payment using one of several safe and convenient electronic payment options available on IRS.gov. Select the Payment tab on the front page of IRS.gov for more information.
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Determine if you are eligible and apply for an online payment agreement, if you owe more tax than you can pay today.
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Figure your income tax withholding with the IRS Withholding Calculator on IRS.gov. Use it if you've had too much or too little withheld, your personal situation has changed, you're starting a new job or you just want to see if you're having the right amount withheld.
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Determine if you might be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax by using the Alternative Minimum Tax Assistant on IRS.gov.
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Request an Electronic Filing PIN by going to IRS.gov and entering Electronic Filing PIN in the search box.
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Download forms, instructions and publications, including accessible versions for people with disabilities.
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Locate the nearest Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) using the Office Locator tool on IRS.gov, or choose the Contact Us option on the IRS2Go app and search Local Offices. An employee can answer questions about your tax account or help you set up a payment plan. Before you visit, check the Office Locator on IRS.gov, or Local Offices under Contact Us on IRS2Go to confirm the address, phone number, days and hours of operation, and the services provided. If you have a special need, such as a disability, you can request an appointment. Call the local number listed in the Office Locator, or look in the phone book under United States Government, Internal Revenue Service.
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Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Go to IRS.gov and enter Apply for an EIN in the search box.
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Read the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, or other official guidance.
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Read Internal Revenue Bulletins.
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Sign up to receive local and national tax news and more by email. Just click on “subscriptions” above the search box on IRS.gov and choose from a variety of options.
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Call to locate the nearest volunteer help site, 1-800-906-9887 or you can use the VITA Locator Tool on IRS.gov, or download the IRS2Go app. Low-to-moderate income, elderly, people with disabilities, and limited English proficient taxpayers can get free help with their tax return from the nationwide Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program helps taxpayers age 60 and older with their tax returns. Most VITA and TCE sites offer free electronic filing. Some VITA and TCE sites provide IRS-certified volunteers who can help prepare your tax return. Through the TCE program, AARP offers the Tax-Aide counseling program; call 1-888-227-7669 to find the nearest Tax-Aide location.
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Call the automated Where's My Refund? information hotline to check the status of your 2013 refund 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-829-1954. If you e-file, you can start checking on the status of your return within 24 hours after the IRS receives your tax return or 4 weeks after you've mailed a paper return. The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. Where's My Refund? will give you a personalized refund date as soon as the IRS processes your tax return and approves your refund. Before you call this automated hotline, have your 2013 tax return handy so you can enter your social security number, your filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund. The IRS updates Where's My Refund? every 24 hours, usually overnight, so you only need to check once a day. Note, the above information is for our automated hotline. Our live phone and walk-in assistors can research the status of your refund only if it's been 21 days or more since you filed electronically or more than 6 weeks since you mailed your paper return.
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Call the Amended Return Hotline, 1-866-464-2050, to check the status of your amended return. You can generally expect your amended return to be processed up to 12 weeks from the date we receive it. It can take up to 3 weeks from the date you mailed it to show up in our system.
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Call 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676) to order current-year forms, instructions, publications, and prior-year forms and instructions (limited to 5 years). You should receive your order within 10 business days.
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Call TeleTax, 1-800-829-4477, to listen to pre-recorded messages covering general and business tax information. If, between January and April 15, you still have questions about the Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ (like filing requirements, dependents, credits, Schedule D, pensions and IRAs or self-employment taxes), call 1-800-829-1040.
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Call using TTY/TDD equipment, 1-800-829-4059 to ask tax questions or order forms and publications. The TTY/TDD telephone number is for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability. These individuals can also contact the IRS through relay services such as the Federal Relay Service.
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Products. You can walk in to some post offices, libraries, and IRS offices to pick up certain forms, instructions, and publications. Some IRS offices, libraries, and city and county government offices have a collection of products available to photocopy from reproducible proofs.
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Services. You can walk in to your local TAC for face-to-face tax help. An employee can answer questions about your tax account or help you set up a payment plan. Before visiting, use the Office Locator tool on IRS.gov, or choose the Contact Us option on the IRS2Go app and search Local Offices for days and hours of operation, and services provided.
Internal Revenue Service
1201 N. Mitsubishi Motorway
Bloomington, IL 61705-6613
The Taxpayer Advocate Service Is Here to Help You. The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is your voice at the IRS. Our job is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and that you know and understand your rights.
What can TAS do for you? We can offer you free help with IRS problems that you can't resolve on your own. We know this process can be confusing, but the worst thing you can do is nothing at all! TAS can help if you can't resolve your tax problem and:
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Your problem is causing financial difficulties for you, your family, or your business.
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You face (or your business is facing) an immediate threat of adverse action.
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You've tried repeatedly to contact the IRS but no one has responded, or the IRS hasn't responded by the date promised.
If you qualify for our help, you'll be assigned to one advocate who'll be with you at every turn and will do everything possible to resolve your problem. Here's why we can help:
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TAS is an independent organization within the IRS.
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Our advocates know how to work with the IRS.
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Our services are free and tailored to meet your needs.
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We have offices in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
How can you reach us? If you think TAS can help you, call your local advocate, whose number is in your local directory and at Taxpayer Advocate, or call us toll-free at 1-877-777-4778.
How else does TAS help taxpayers?
TAS also works to resolve large-scale, systemic problems that affect many taxpayers. If you know of one of these broad issues, please report it to us through our Systemic Advocacy Management System.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs) serve individuals whose income is below a certain level and need to resolve tax problems such as audits, appeals and tax collection disputes. Some clinics can provide information about taxpayer rights and responsibilities in different languages for individuals who speak English as a second language. Visit Taxpayer Advocate or see IRS Publication 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List.
Webtitle: Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement and Form W-3 Transmitttal of Wage and Tax Statemtents
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