Even if an S Corp has no income, it must file IRS Form 1120S annually to maintain compliance. Filing establishes a tax record, prevents IRS assumptions about tax liability, and avoids penalties. Business expenses can still be deducted, potentially resulting in a loss that carries forward.
An S corporation's annual tax is the greater of 1.5 percent of the corporation's net income or $800.
The annual tax for S corporations is the greater of 1.5% of the corporation's net income or $800.
S corps need payroll because the IRS needs to have a way to collect taxes from the business. Because the business is separate from the business owner, they are not responsible for paying Social Security and Medicare taxes on distributions.
S Corp owners must file Form 1120-S, U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation. Both C and S Corps follow the same guidelines for filing taxes with no income. If you had no income, you must file the corporation income tax return, regardless of whether you had expenses or not.
Any S corp business owner can tell you S corp payroll taxes are complicated. This is why QuickBooks' tax penalty protection is so important. Even if you experience errors that lead to tax penalties, QuickBooks can resolve those errors and reimburse penalties and interest.