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What do those payroll tax acronyms mean?
If you've ever wondered about the meaning of
acronyms you see on those quarterly payroll tax forms your business is
required to file, here's a brief guide to decode the jargon.
FICA. The Federal
Insurance Contributions Act authorizes collections of social
security payroll taxes. At present, the FICA rate is 7.65% of certain
wages, and consists of two parts: 6.2% old age, survivor, and
disability insurance (commonly called social security); and 1.45%
Medicare hospital insurance.
As an employer, you're generally required to
withhold FICA taxes from employees' wages, and to also pay a matching
amount.
Note: If you employ workers in your home, such as
nannies, different rules apply.
SUTA. Individual
states collect taxes to fund unemployment insurance programs under
State Unemployment Tax Acts.
State unemployment tax is not withheld from the
wages your employees earn.
FUTA. Under the Federal
Unemployment Tax Act, the IRS collects 6.2% of the first
$7,000 of wages you pay your employees each year. This tax is not
withheld from your employees' wages.
As a general rule, when you make state
unemployment tax (SUTA) payments on time, you can claim a credit
against your FUTA tax liability. The credit is 5.4%, and reduces the
FUTA rate to .8%, or $56 per employee per year.
If you have questions about these or other payroll
issues, please call. We're here to help.
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