How to Make Federal Payroll Tax Deposits Online for Forms 941 and 940
You can make a federal tax deposit for Form 941 or Form 940 through EFTPS (the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System), IRS Direct Pay for businesses, or your IRS business tax account, all free. A provider can also make the deposit for you, per IRS Publication 15 (2026). Schedule an EFTPS payment by 8 p.m. Eastern the day before the due date. This guide covers enrolling, choosing a channel, depositing, and fixing a missed or misapplied deposit.
Work through the five procedures in this order
Enroll in EFTPS once and early if you will use it, since the PIN (personal identification number) arrives by mail. Choose a channel before the first deposit of any new payment type. Make the Form 941 deposit on every due date in your schedule. Make the Form 940 deposit at each quarter end where cumulative FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax Act) liability is more than $500. Use the recovery steps the day a missed or misapplied deposit surfaces. This guide covers employers that file Form 941 (or Form 944 if the IRS has notified them) and Form 940. Household employers (Schedule H) and farm wages (Form 943) follow different return rules (Instructions for Form 941 (Rev. 03/2026)).
Enroll in EFTPS before your first deposit is due
The business owner, controller, or payroll administrator enrolls once, before the first deposit is due, if EFTPS will carry your deposits. EFTPS is a free service run by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, according to Pub 15 (2026).
What you need first.
* Have your employer identification number (EIN) ready.
* Confirm the IRS address of record, because the PIN is mailed there.
* Set up a Login.gov or ID.me account for multifactor sign-in.
1. Check whether you are pre-enrolled. A new employer that indicated a federal tax obligation when requesting its EIN is pre-enrolled and receives a PIN mailing with activation instructions (Pub 15 (2026)).
2. Enroll at EFTPS.gov if you are not pre-enrolled.
3. Allow time for processing. As of October 2026, the IRS EFTPS page says new enrollments can take up to five business days to process.
4. Watch your mail for the PIN. EFTPS.gov says a first-time enrollee’s information is validated with the IRS and the PIN arrives by U.S. mail in five to seven business days at the IRS address of record.
5. Sign in with multifactor authentication through Login.gov or ID.me, required since October 19, 2023.
6. Enter your EIN, PIN, and password.
7. Save the EFTPS customer service number, 800-555-4477, and the voice response number, 800-555-3453.
What a correct result looks like. You hold a working PIN and can sign in to EFTPS.
Choose a payment channel for each form
The payroll administrator or business owner makes this choice before the first deposit of any new payment type. All federal tax deposits must be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT), according to IRS Pub 15 (2026).
What you need first.
* List the forms you file.
* Note who makes your deposits today.
* Find your provider’s contact details, if any.
Channel
Cost and forms
What to know
EFTPS
Free, and accepts Forms 941, 940, and 944
Lets you schedule payments up to 365 days ahead and see payment history
IRS Direct Pay for businesses
Free, and the IRS types of business payments page lists Forms 941 and 940 with the reason Federal Tax Deposit, but not Form 944, as of October 2026
Needs no sign-in, caps a payment at $10 million (use EFTPS or a same-day wire above that), accepts no more than 5 payments in 24 hours, and lets you change or cancel within two days of the scheduled payment
IRS business tax account
Free, and named by the IRS for Form 944 deposits
Listed alongside EFTPS and Direct Pay in Pub 15 (2026), and named in the 2025 Form 944 instructions. Access depends on your entity type and role, so check the IRS business tax account page before relying on it
A provider on your behalf
Fees possible, and a third party makes the deposit
May have different cutoff times than EFTPS, so ask for them and set your own earlier deadline
A reporting agent authorized on Form 8655 may deposit and pay for you but “assumes no liability” for your tax duties, so you remain responsible (IRS third party arrangements page).
A mailed check does not satisfy a required deposit, because deposits must be made by EFT (IRS Pub 15 (2026)). The IRS also says, “Federal tax deposits can’t be paid by card.” Electronic funds withdrawal (EFW) can pay a Form 941 balance due when you e-file, but the Instructions for Form 941 say not to use it for federal tax deposits. Paying a required deposit with the return falls in the 10% penalty tier, with exceptions covered in the FAQ.
1. Name the form. Form 941 and Form 940 deposits can go through EFTPS, Direct Pay for businesses, or a provider, Pub 15 (2026) lists the IRS business tax account as a deposit channel as well, and the 2025 Instructions for Form 944 name EFTPS and the IRS business tax account.
2. Decide whether to sign in and schedule ahead, as EFTPS allows, or pay without signing in, as Direct Pay for businesses allows.
3. Decide who runs the deposit, your team or a provider.
4. Write down which channel and which person or provider handles each form, so the team never has to guess.
Who files your payroll taxes is a separate choice from the channel you use to deposit them. Asure offers two ways to handle payroll tax filing inside payroll. AsureCentral covers payroll tax filing for growing employers, and AsureWorks specialists run payroll, including payroll tax filing and reporting, on that same platform. The platform doesn’t change. Who does the work can. You remain the employer, with no co-employment, and responsibility for your federal payroll taxes generally stays with you either way.
What a correct result looks like. Every form has one named channel and one named owner.
Schedule and confirm a Form 941 deposit
The payroll administrator or business owner makes this deposit on every due date in the schedule. The steps below use EFTPS, because the IRS publishes EFTPS tax period codes and cutoffs. Direct Pay users choose the business path, Form 941, and the reason Federal Tax Deposit.
What you need first.
* Pull the payroll register.
* Check your deposit schedule.
* Have your EFTPS sign-in or Direct Pay path ready.
Your 2026 deposit schedule comes from Form 941, line 12, over the lookback period of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, where $50,000 or less means monthly and more than $50,000 means semiweekly, however often you pay employees (IRS Pub 15 (2026)). Two exceptions change the window. A 2026 Form 941 filer that filed Form 944 in 2024 or 2025 uses calendar year 2024 as the lookback period, and a new employer is a monthly depositor for its first calendar year (Pub 15 (2026), section 11 and Instructions for Form 941 (Rev. 03/2026)). Monthly depositors deposit by the 15th of the following month (Pub 15 (2026), section 11). Semiweekly depositors deposit Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday payments by the following Wednesday, and Saturday through Tuesday payments by the following Friday (Table 2 in Pub 15 (2026)).
If $100,000 or more of tax accumulates on any day of a deposit period, deposit by the next business day (Pub 15 (2026) next-day rule). A deposit due on a non-business day is timely if made by the close of the next business day, and only legal holidays in the District of Columbia count (Pub 15 (2026)).
Applying the rules and the 2026 legal holiday list in Pub 15 (2026), a semiweekly payday of Friday, October 9, 2026 is normally due Wednesday, October 14, but Monday, October 12 is a legal holiday in the District of Columbia, so the deposit is due Thursday, October 15. A monthly depositor that accumulates $100,000 on any day becomes a semiweekly depositor the next day, for at least the rest of that calendar year and the following calendar year (Pub 15 (2026)). Form 944 filers follow separate deposit rules in the Instructions for Form 944.
1. Split the deposit by quarter when one semiweekly period holds pay dates in two quarters. Pub 15’s example of September 30 and October 2, 2026 pay dates needs two deposits, both due October 7, 2026.
2. Choose Form 941 and the tax period ending for the quarter in which the wages were paid, either 03, 06, 09, or 12 (Pub 4990 (Rev. 10-2024)). Choose the tax period for the quarter in which the wages were paid, not the date you make the payment. Deposits are generally applied to the most recent liability within the quarter (Pub 15 (2026)), so the period matters.
3. Schedule the EFTPS payment by 8 p.m. Eastern the day before the due date, the safe rule on EFTPS.gov and in Pub 4990.
4. Record the EFT Acknowledgment Number when you schedule the payment.
5. Check EFTPS payment history for the right form and period.
6. Reconcile deposits to the return. Form 941, line 16 (monthly) or Schedule B (semiweekly) must equal line 12, or deposits may not be counted as timely. A semiweekly depositor that fails to file Schedule B may face an averaged failure-to-deposit penalty, and monthly depositors do not file it (Instructions for Form 941).
What a correct result looks like. You hold an acknowledgment number, and EFTPS history lists the payment for the right form and period.
Deposit FUTA tax for Form 940 once a quarter’s total is over $500
The payroll administrator or business owner pays FUTA tax online for Form 940 at the end of any quarter in which cumulative liability is more than $500.
For 2026, FUTA tax is 6.0% on the first $7,000 paid to each employee, less a credit of up to 5.4% (0.6% net) when state unemployment tax was paid in full, on time, and on the same wages and the state is not a credit reduction state. In a credit reduction state, include the credit reduction amount with the fourth-quarter deposit (Pub 15 (2026), section 14).
What you need first.
* Pull the quarter’s taxable wages.
* Know your due date, April 30, July 31, October 31, or January 31.
* Have your EFTPS sign-in or Direct Pay path ready.
1. Add the quarter’s FUTA liability, 0.6% of taxable wages adjusted for the state credit, to any amount carried forward. A total of $500 or less need not be deposited and carries to the next quarter (Pub 15 (2026)).
2. Deposit a total of more than $500 by EFT by the last day of the first month after the quarter ends (Pub 15 (2026)). A weekend or legal holiday due date moves to the next business day, so the third-quarter date of October 31, 2026, a Saturday, becomes Monday, November 2, 2026, as of October 2026 (IRS employment tax due dates).
3. Choose Form 940, plus the reason Federal Tax Deposit if you use Direct Pay.
4. Use tax period ending 12, never a quarter-end month such as 09 (Pub 4990 (Rev. 10-2024)).
5. Schedule the EFTPS payment by 8 p.m. Eastern the day before the due date.
6. Record the EFT Acknowledgment Number.
As hypothetical arithmetic at the 0.6% net rate, a quarter’s liability exceeds $500 only when taxable wages in the quarter exceed $83,333.33, or when 12 employees have each reached the full $7,000 base (12 times $42 equals $504). A fourth-quarter liability of $500 or less may be deposited, paid by card, or paid with Form 940 by January 31 (Monday, February 1, 2027 for the 2026 return, because January 31, 2027 is a Sunday), and Form 940-V goes only with a check or money order (Instructions for Form 940 (2025 edition)).
What a correct result looks like. You hold an acknowledgment number for a Form 940 deposit made on tax period ending 12.
Fix a missed or misapplied deposit
The business owner, controller, or payroll administrator starts this procedure the day a missed deposit or an IRS notice surfaces.
What you need first.
* Gather the acknowledgment number, EIN, form, tax period, payment date, and amount.
* Note any IRS notice number and date.
* Keep the notice’s phone number handy.
The failure-to-deposit penalty is tiered by calendar days late, counted from the due date, and the tiers are not cumulative. Per Pub 15 (2026), it is 2% for deposits one to five days late, 5% for six to 15 days late, and 10% for 16 or more days late (before 10 days after the first IRS notice). It is also 10% for amounts paid directly to the IRS or with the return instead of deposited, and 15% for amounts unpaid more than 10 days after the first IRS notice or on the day notice and demand for immediate payment is received. Separately, if withheld income tax and the employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes are not deposited or paid to the Treasury, the trust fund recovery penalty may apply: 100% of the unpaid trust fund tax, which the IRS can assess on responsible persons who acted willfully (Publication 15 (2026)).
Missed deposit.
1. Use a same-day wire through the Federal Tax Collection Service if the due date has not passed but the EFTPS cutoff has.
2. Arrange the wire with your financial institution in advance, since it may carry a bank fee, and ask about availability, fees, and cutoff times (Pub 15 (2026) and IRS same-day wire page).
3. Deposit as soon as possible if the due date has already passed (Pub 15 (2026)).
Misapplied deposit.
1. Check EFTPS payment history to see which form and tax period the payment was listed under.
2. Contact the IRS at the number on the notice or the Business and Specialty Tax Line, 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, and explain what happened (Instructions for Form 941 (Rev. 03/2026)).
3. Designate how deposits are applied only after a failure-to-deposit penalty notice, within 90 days of the notice date (Rev. Proc. 2001-58), following the notice’s instructions (Pub 15 (2026)).
As of October 2026, the IRS penalty relief page says reasonable-cause relief remains available and First Time Abate requires you to contact the IRS, by calling the number on the notice or sending a written statement or Form 843. First Time Abate is transitioning to Automatic Exemption from Penalty starting Summer 2026, which covers Form 940 for tax year 2025 and later and Form 941 for 2026 quarterly returns and later, needs no taxpayer action, and requires timely filing and payment over the prior three years (12 consecutive quarters for Form 941), with fewer than four earlier failure-to-deposit waivers and no EFTPS-avoidance penalty. Relief is never guaranteed. Keep notices and correspondence with your payroll records for at least four years (Pub 15 (2026)).
What a correct result looks like. The correct deposit is on file for the right form and period, or you hold a documented IRS request in progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EFTPS cutoff time for payroll tax deposits?
The safe EFTPS cutoff is 8 p.m. Eastern the day before the due date (EFTPS.gov and Pub 4990 (Rev. 10-2024)). Pub 15 (2026) adds that EFTPS accepts same-day payments of $1 million or less submitted before 3:00 p.m. Eastern on a business day, and larger payments must be in by 8:00 p.m. Eastern the day before.
Can I use IRS Direct Pay instead of EFTPS for payroll tax deposits?
Yes, for Form 941 and Form 940. As of October 2026, IRS Direct Pay for businesses is free and lists both forms with the reason Federal Tax Deposit (IRS types of business payments page). It does not list Form 944, and the 2025 Instructions for Form 944 name EFTPS and the IRS business tax account.
Can I pay my Form 941 taxes by check?
No, not for a required deposit, which must be made by EFT (Pub 15 (2026)). A Form 941 filer may pay with a timely filed return, without penalty, when line 12 total tax is less than $2,500 for the current or prior quarter and no $100,000 next-day obligation arose in the current quarter, and a monthly depositor may also pay a shortfall with the return under the accuracy of deposits rule. A check or money order balance due goes with Form 941-V, which is not filed when paying by EFT, credit card, or debit card (Instructions for Form 941 (Rev. 03/2026)).
Does making a deposit file my return?
No. The IRS says, “Depositing the taxes alone does not report the taxes or relieve you of the requirement to file a return” (IRS employment tax due dates). Form 941 is still due the last day of the month after the quarter ends, or by the 10th day of the second month if all taxes were deposited on time in full, which makes the third-quarter 2026 return due Monday, November 2, 2026, or November 10, 2026, as of October 2026.
Put your next deposit due date on your calendar, along with the channel and owner you chose for it and, for EFTPS, the 8 p.m. Eastern cutoff the day before. Confirm that your EFTPS enrollment, Direct Pay path, or provider is active before then. To see how AsureCentral or AsureWorks handles payroll tax filing, talk to an Asure expert.
