Taxes are an inevitable part of doing business in the United States. Keeping track of tax deadlines and requirements can be a daunting task for startups and small business owners, as there are many important tax dates to remember. Fortunately, companies like Cleer are working to make taxes less painful by creating helpful tools like their 2023 Tax Deadline Calendar for Startups. Let’s dive into why some of the dates are important and when they occur. 

Different Types of Companies Have Different Deadlines

The calendar includes important tax deadlines for different types of companies, such as C-Corps, Partnerships, and S-Corps throughout the year. For example, January 31 is the deadline for payments to employees and independent contractors, including 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-K, W-2, and W-3 forms. February 1 is an important deadline for startups because it is the opt-out deadline for federal and state return extensions. Cleer recommends filing for extensions due to the $25,000 penalty risk for missed Form 5472 foreign investment information.

February 22 is another important deadline for Cleer users because it is the submission deadline for documents for the Partnership March deadline. Cleer needs to receive financials by this date in order to file for partnership and S-Corp deadlines. February 28 is the deadline for paper filings of 1099 and 1099-DIV forms. March 1 is the deadline for the Delaware Franchise Annual Report and Tax, which is calculated by shares issued and assets at year end.

Tax Time

March 15 is a busy deadline day for several different types of businesses. S-Corp and Partnership extensions are due, and 1065 and 8805 forms must be filed for Partnerships, including income share for foreign partners. 1120 and 1042s forms must be filed for S-Corps and corporations with dividends paid to foreign shareholders. Filing an extension is recommended to avoid penalties on a per-partner, per-month basis. The IRS is currently assessing penalties on late 8805s and 1042s for dividends and owner payouts.

Also on March 15, C-Corp and S-Corp elections must be filed. These elections must be filed within 75 days of the start of the tax year. This deadline can benefit foreign-owned LLC members who want to be taxed as a C-Corp. Additionally, US C-Corp shareholders can save taxes by filing as an S-Corp.

March 24 is the submission deadline for tax documents to make the April deadline. If taxes are owed this year, financials must be sent to Cleer by this date to calculate taxes and prevent penalties. March 31 is the e-filing deadline for most payout information returns, including 1097, 1098, and 1099s, excluding NEC, 3921, 3922, and W-2G forms.

Later Deadlines

April 17 is another important deadline for Cleer users because it is the deadline for filing federal and state returns. An extension for state returns can be filed by request. April 18 is very important because it is Tax Day. It is the tax day extension due date, which includes 1120-Corp and 1040 for single-owner LLCs and individuals. This deadline is also the due date for Q1 estimated tax payments for corporations, which are required to pay estimated taxes in their first year of profitability. 

There are even more deadlines after Tax Day. May 31 is the deadline for the BE-12 foreign investment form, which is required for companies with 10% or greater foreign ownership. Penalties for failing to file this form range from $2500 to $10,000 and can even result in criminal charges. This form is surveyed every five years. June 1 is the LLC DE franchise annual fee due date. June 15 is the Q2 estimated tax payments due date. August 25 is the extension deadline for signing up for extended returns. This is the final deadline to sign up for clean-up bookkeeping for the prior tax year. 

Conclusion

It is clear to see that there is a huge amount of tax-related deadlines. As overwhelming as it might be, these deadlines are super important for companies to keep track of, due to the penalties that can be inflicted by the IRS. These penalties can range from expensive fines of up to $25,000 or even to jail time for individuals. That is why keeping track of important dates on a calendar, such as Cleer’s 2023 Tax Deadline Calendar for Startups, is essential for a successful business.