941 2rd QTY - Latest version update causes field 5a (Taxable social security wages) to be blank

It's my priority to help you sort this out, @Matt1213. I've conducted research here and haven't found any similar issues with it.     

Though, the reason you're getting this error it's because the quarter has not been ended yet. The Form 941 filings are due on the last day of the month following the end of the quarter.

To verify the filing deadline in your state, visit our Payroll Tax Compliance website.

I've added this handy articles to help you guide, with the Form filling of 941 and it's deadlines:

• How QuickBooks Populates the 941 
• Tax deadlines and important quarterly and year-end dates 

Let me know if you have followed up questions. I want to make sure this issue is resolved. I'm here to provide further assistance whenever you need it. Have a productive week!

I am also getting  DO NOT FILE  on my printed 941.

Client's last PR was June 17 so therefore quarterly return can be prepared.

Never had an issue completing the 941 before the end of the month!

Is there an update to fix this??

Thanks for joining in on this thread, @pattimac.

If you're having issues with completing the 941 after updating your QuickBooks Desktop to the latest tax version 22010, then I recommend reaching out to the Payroll Support Team. Rest assured, they have the tools to assess and update your account in a secure environment. You can let me know how the conversation goes by leaving a Reply.

Alternatively, you can download the 2019 version of the form on the IRS website. Then, manually file the form. Visit the Prior Year Products section on there as well for even more. Our Community article about filing your 941 tax form has lots of great information too. 

If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to reach back out. Take care!

i have the exact SAME issue in the update to 941 through enhanced payroll.  Line 5a Taxable social security wages has nothing in it.  Even if I override, all forms are printed with DO NOT FILE THIS FORM... please fix this ASAP

Hello, @Woofgal.

Line 5a is derived from your employees' wage base for Social Security minus the wage base tips. Let's first make sure that your QuickBooks software and payroll tax table is updated to the latest version. This way, we can isolate your concern.

Here's how to update your QuickBooks software:

1. Go to the Help menu.
2. Choose the Update QuickBooks Desktop. 
3. Click the Update Now tab.
4. Put a checkmark inside the Reset the updates box.
5. Select Get Updates to re-download the updates. 
6. From the QuickBooks Desktop Update Service window, select Install Now.

Once done, let's close and open QuickBooks to ensure that all components are updated. Now, let's update your payroll tax table. 

1. Go to the Employees menu
2. Select Get Payroll Updates.
3. Mark the Download Entire Update checkbox.
4. Click Download Latest Update. 

Once completed, you can try preparing your 941 forms again. Also, you can read through these articles to learn more about how QuickBooks populates the lines on Form 941:

• Troubleshooting amounts in Form 941
• E-file 940, 941, and 944 tax forms
• How QuickBooks Populates The 941

If the issue persists, I'd suggest contacting our Payroll support team. A specialist can securely access your account and conduct a formal investigation on the root cause of this issue.

Swing by here if you have other questions. I'm always here to help.

Dear Customer Service Team,

Thank you for looking into this issue. I was reading carefully the email string popping up for this issue. It is clearly not an isolated 941 Form issue on my side.  This issue has been introduced after downloading the latest tax version 22010.  This tax version has many new COVID-19 fields included and must have broke the existing 941 calculation.  

In addition, I followed the advice and updated just in case Quickbooks Pro 2020 and in addition the tax version 22020 again. Both were on the same updates already before.  Also, I never encountered this issue in the last 15 years and I always prepared the quarterly 941's in advance.

Can you development team please look into this issue because my "internal" quickbooks Pro payroll numbers are correct.

Thank you in advance

Matt

Thanks for getting back to us, @Matt1213.

I've checked our system and found out that an updated payroll tax table will be released. It means that the watermark shown on Form 941 will be removed once the updates are available.

To know more about the new details of Form 941, I recommend checking this link: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/employees-and-payroll/how-can-i-create-a-correct-2... and then scroll down to the answer of JenoP.

Also, you may want to consider checking out the tax deadlines and important quarterly and year-end dates to keep up to date on key and deadlines.

Keep me posted if you have other payroll concerns. I'll be around to help. Have a great day!

Thank you CharleneMae for the positive update.

Matt

It's always my pleasure to provide you the update, @Matt1213.

Know that we're always here to give you a helping hand in case you've got other QuickBooks payroll questions or concerns.

Also, feel free to visit our Help articles page to get updated answers regarding employees and payroll taxes, reports, and accounting, etc.

Don't hesitate to click the Reply button if you have additional queries, Matt1213. The Community team got your back. Take care!

I just today (Monday, June 29) attempted to prep my 2nd Qtr 941 since we will not have any additional payroll for June.  I have prepped 941s for over 20 years now and often do them before the end of the month with no issues.  I was surprised to see a whopping overpayment and upon looking at the form I see it is indeed due to the Social Security boxes being left blank.  I have read the thread on this issue and I hope it is corrected without further delay.  It looks like there is an option to delay employers' paying the Social Security during COVID19.  However, our company received the PPP and we expect iot to be forgiven so we are not eligible for this deferment. 

I'm having the same issue. The taxable social security wages is blank and I had to manually enter in the number. Does the support team know why this is happening?

Hi kb216. 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by the QuickBooks Community. You are correct in having the taxable social security wages marked blank, this is because under the CARES Act that was signed into law on March 27, 2020, businesses may delay paying the employer portion of the Social Security payroll taxes on wages paid. According to the IRS, the deferral applies to deposits and payments of the employer’s share of Social Security tax that would otherwise be required to be made during the period beginning on March 27, 2020, and ending Dec. 31, 2020. 

This deferral applies to the 6.2% Social Security (old age, survivors, and disability insurance tax) portion of the employer’s obligation. Self-employed people are allowed to defer 50% of their Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) tax payment, including any related estimated tax liability. The deferral does not apply to the employee’s portion of the Social Security tax or the 1.45% Medicare tax. 

Here, you can read more about the CARES Act and specifically Social Security payroll tax deferment. 

If you have any other questions or concerns, please, feel free to reach out below. Thank you for your time and have a wonderful evening. 

I am having the exact same issue. Line 5a is blank for wages on the form 941. I did not elect to defer social security taxes.  Even if that were the case, an amount would show up on line 13b for Deferred amount of the employer share of social security tax. It does not. I installed the latest update and this is still a problem. Please help.

Yes, I understand.  However, CARES Act says you "MAY" defer the SS taxes.  But it automatically assumes in the QBs form that you wish to defer.  Should not there be a question of whether or not you wish to defer?  We prefer to pay when due and not deal with the deferral and later payments, keeping track, etc.  Also, I think it would impact your 2020 tax return as well as expenses are only counted when actually paid.  I just entered the correct amount manually using the override function.  I do not think this deferment is mandatory, correct?  

Thanks for your reply and clarification.

Let me help you process the 941 forms in QuickBooks Desktop, DavidCPA, and HelenControl.

Yes, you are right, business may defer the social security taxes as stated in the CARES Act and specifically Social Security payroll tax deferment. I've checked our system and the watermark shown on Form 941 will be removed since the update is already available. Let's make sure we have the latest payroll update 22012 that was released on June 18, 2020. 

To fix the blank Line 5A issue, just follow the steps in this link: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/employees-and-payroll/re-how-can-i-create-a-correc.... Then scroll down to the answer of rwslaura. Doing this, there's no need to override the amount in the form. 

If you need further assistance with performing the recommended solutions, I'd suggest contacting our Payroll Support Team. They'll pull up your account in a secure environment and help you with this one.

Here's how to reach them:

1. Click the Help icon on the top menu. 
2. Choose QuickBooks Desktop Help. 
3. Tap Contact us.
4. Select Search for something else and enter your concern in the Tell us more about your question: field. 
5. Tap Search. 
6. Choose Start a Message or Get Phone Number to connect with our support. 

I have a link here that provides you with articles about managing your payroll forms: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/payroll-and-workers/payroll-forms/08?product=Quick....

I'm just one post away if you need a hand with correcting tax discrepancies or any QubikBooks related. I'll be here to help. You have a good one. 

I operate 2 companies - 1 using QB 2018 Pro and the other using QB 2020 Pro.  Both companies lack Social Security Wages and Taxes to print on field 5A.   Has to be a program error.

MJo1

Welcome to the thread, @MJo1.

If I may ask, were you able to try the workaround provided by my colleague RCV? If no, then you can follow these steps which were shared by rwslaura found on this post https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/employees-and-payroll/re-how-can-i-create-a-correc....

1. Turn off all anti-virus software. 
2. On your QuickBooks Desktop account, go to the Help menu at the top.
3. Hit Update QuickBooks Desktop.
4. Tap Reset Update, then Update Now.
5. When the update is finished, log off and reboot QuickBooks. 

Once back, press F2 and check the version of the software. It needs to be on R12_68 to get the correct form. This way, line 5A will calculate correctly. 

Please let me know how things go on your end. I want to ensure this gets resolve for you. Have a great day!

I encountered the same issue today.  Line 5a taxable social security wages is blank on line 941.  I can enter the appropriate amount on that line an things appear to be okay.  Forms so not display DO NOT FILE.  I checked wage bases used on the payroll summary report and they are fine.  Are you having any issues with the summarize data in excel  feature?   I get an error that states  "We found a problem with some content in 'QB_Payroll_link.xlt".  Some reports  (State Wage Listing)then show fictitious data.  FAke Employee SS# and amounts. 

I am having the same problem

Hello there, @eastwakeanimal.

I recommend contacting the support team if the issue persists after performing the suggested steps. They can pull up your account and investigate the root cause of this problem.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Help menu and then select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. Click Contact Us.
3. Enter your concern in the Tell us more about your question field. 
4. Click Search. 
5. Select Start a Message.

Due to the pandemic, we have limited staffing and reduced our available hours. To ensure that you'll be assisted on time, check out our support hours.

Also, you may want to consider visiting our Payroll forms page to find helpful articles about how to process, manage, e file quarterly, and annual payroll forms.

Let me know how it goes. I'll keep an eye in your response. Have a great day!

I am using QB Desktop 2020.  I am in release R7_115.  Column 1 of Line 5a is populating now, but Line 5a (i) is blank.  Yesterday, when I was in release R7_89, Line 5a was blank and Line 5a (i) was populating correctly.  Any suggestions?

We completely updated just now (7/1 at 11:30 a.m. EST) both program and payroll updates and still no population of Social Security wages in 5 and no question on the set up page on whether the taxes want to be deferred.  We have many companies and can't hold much longer on this issue..... any ideas when it may be fixed? 

Matt,

Did you get this fixed or hear anything on it?  We have been having the same issue and still this morning 7/1 ran all updates again - both program and payroll and still no population of Social Security wages and no box on the set up that the taxpayer is not deferring them.

Any way to get an update from QB on when they may have this problem resolved?

Hi @bkonwin and @dblaes,

I appreciate you performing the troubleshooting steps shared by my colleagues above. At this time, we don't have any updates regarding this issue. 

To ensure it gets reported, I suggest contacting our Phone Support Team. This way, they can investigate this matter further and create an investigation ticket if most of the users experiencing the same. They can also help you fix this by their tools.

To reach them, you can follow the detailed steps shared above.

You might want to check out this article to know more about IRS payroll tax compliance: Internal Revenue Service Payroll Tax Compliance.

Please touch base with me here for all of your QuickBooks needs, I'm always happy to help. Have a great day and stay safe.