Year-end checklist for QuickBooks Online Payroll

Whether it’s filing your taxes or sending out your employees’ W-2s, there are several things you need to get done for payroll at the end of the calendar year. Go over these important dates and tasks as you plan your year-end for QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium, or QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite.

• December
• January
  • Automate taxes and forms turned on
  • Automate taxes and forms turned off

Year-end tasks for 2025

Complete these tasks before the end of the 2025 calendar year.

Run final QuickBooks Payroll for 2025

• Make sure employee wages and benefits are correct.
• If you use direct deposit, send off the year's final paychecks and pay employee bonuses.
• Report all employee paychecks, including handwritten, commission, termination, and bonus checks.
• Add the year's final fringe benefits to paychecks.
• Add any commissions your employees earned.
• Contribute to your employee’s retirement.

Final 2025 payroll deadlines

Prepare your W-2s

• Preview your W-2s before they’re sent to the government and your employees. If you find an error, fix it and avoid a W-2C.
• Report company-paid healthcare on your employees' W-2s if needed.

Invite your employees to view their W-2s online

• Invite your employees to QuickBooks Workforce so they can see their pay stubs and W-2s online. They can also choose to go paperless and opt out of a mailed copy of their W-2.

Review and update employee information

• Ask employees to review and update W-4 and state withholding forms.
• Update employee information, such as Social Security numbers (SSNs), legal names, and addresses, and secondary mailing addresses.
• Double-check your employees can import their W-2 directly into their TurboTax account.
• Review and update any changes to your federal deposit and filing schedule.
• Review vacation hours, including used and unused time.

Review and update company information

• Run reports for year-end: employee details, payroll details, taxes, and wage summary.
• Send us any tax notices you may have received.

Monitor federal and state tax changes for 2026

• Review and update your state unemployment insurance rate for the new year.
• Review and update your tax deposit schedules.

Order year-end supplies

• Subscribe to our labor law compliance posters. This way you know when the law changes.

Year-end filing timeline for 2026

The dates that matter to you in 2026 depend on if you have Automate taxes and forms turned on.

QuickBooks Online Payroll will automatically pay and file your state and QuickBooks Payroll taxes (including year-end flings) only if Automate taxes and forms is turned on. If you aren't sure, check your automatic tax payments and form filing status first.

Need 1099s? 1099s aren’t automatically created for you. If you are in need of 1099s for contractors, select the QuickBooks Payroll menu, then Contractors and Prepare 1099s for the required steps.

Choose your tax payment status to learn more:

• Automate taxes and forms turned on
• Automate taxes and forms turned off

Automate taxes and forms on

January 3, 2026

• Last day for you to change your W-2 print setting to avoid additional fees for us to mail W-2s to your employees.
• Last day for your employees to opt-in for a paperless W-2.

January 15, 2026

• W-2 forms start to become available in your product.

January 16 through February 2, 2026

• W-2 forms are mailed to employees by USPS if you've opted in to have them sent. Fees apply.

January 27, 2026

• If you use our 1099 e-file service, e-file forms on or before January 27, before 5:00 PM PT. This will help us process and send your contractors their forms by February 2. Fees may apply when you e-file or mail your 1099s.

February 2, 2026

• 1099s
  • If you use our 1099 e-file service by January 27, and choose to have 1099s forms mailed, the 1099 forms will be mailed to your contractors to the addresses indicated in the contractor's profile by February 2. Fees may apply when you e-file or mail your 1099s.
  • If you haven't already filed, use our e-file service for your 1099-NEC forms before 5:00 PM PT for timely submission to the IRS. Fees may apply.
  • If you don't use e-file, 1099s must be mailed to contractors.
• W-2s
  • If you opted in for mailed W-2 copies, W-2 forms will be mailed to your employees to the addresses indicated in the employee profile by February 2. Fees apply.
• Review your tax forms and payments within QuickBooks Online.

February 28 and March 31, 2026

• If you use our 1099 e-file service, e-file your 1099-MISC by March 27 so they can be processed by March 31.
• If you don't use 1099 e-file, the 1099-MISC must be mailed to IRS by February 28.

Automate taxes and forms off

January 1, 2026

• W-2 forms will be available for you to print and file with your product.

January 3, 2026

• Last day for your employees to opt-in for a paperless W-2.

January 27, 2026

• If you use our 1099 e-file service, e-file your forms on or before January 27, before 5:00 PM PT. This will help us process and send your contractors their forms by February 2. Fees may apply when you e-file or mail your 1099s.
• Review and file federal forms and make tax payments, such as Forms 941/944 or 940.
• Review and file state forms, and make tax payments (form names, due dates, and lead times vary by state).

January 30, 2026

• E-file your W-2s before 5:00 PM PT so they can be processed by February 2.

February 2, 2026

• 1099s
  • If you use our 1099 e-file service by January 27, and choose to have 1099s mailed, the 1099 forms will be mailed to your contractors to the addresses indicated in the contractor's profile by February 2. Fees may apply when you e-file or mail your 1099s. If you don't use e-file, you must mail 1099s to your contractors by this date
  • If you haven't already filed, e-file your 1099-NEC forms before 5:00 PM PT for timely submission to the IRS.
  • If you don't use e-file, 1099s must be mailed to contractors.
• W-2s
  • Send W-2s to your employees.

February 28 and March 31, 2026

• If you use our 1099 e-file service, e-file your 1099-MISC by March 27 so they can be processed by March 31.
• If you don't use 1099 e-file, the 1099-MISC must be mailed to IRS by February 28.