Part 2: Tell Us About Your Deposit Schedule and Tax Liability for This Quarter

16. Tax Liability for the Quarter Check one of the boxes on line 16. Follow the instructions for each box to determine if you need to enter your

Instructions for Form 941 (Rev. 3-2026) 13

Don’t change your tax liability on Schedule B (Form 941) by adjustments reported on any Forms 941-X.

Adjusting tax liability for the qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities (line 11). Monthly schedule depositors and semiweekly schedule depositors must account for the qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities (line 11) when reporting their tax liabilities on line 16 or Schedule B (Form 941). The total tax liability for the quarter must equal the amount reported on line 12. Failure to account for the qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities on line 16 or Schedule B (Form 941) may cause line 16 or Schedule B (Form 941) to report more than the total tax liability reported on line 12. Don’t reduce your monthly tax liability reported on line 16 or your daily tax liability reported on Schedule B (Form 941) below zero.

Beginning with the first quarter of 2023, the qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities is first used to reduce the employer share of social security tax (up to $250,000) for the quarter and any remaining credit is then used to reduce the employer share of Medicare tax for the quarter until it reaches zero. In completing line 16 or Schedule B (Form 941), you take into account the payroll tax credit against the liability for the employer share of social security tax starting with the first payroll payment of the quarter that includes payments of wages subject to social security tax to your employees until you use up to $250,000 of credit against the employer share of social security tax and you then take into account any remaining payroll tax credit against the liability for the employer share of Medicare tax starting with the first payroll payment of the quarter that includes payments of wages subject to Medicare tax to employees. Consistent with the entries on line 16 or Schedule B (Form 941), the payroll tax credit should be taken into account in making deposits of employment tax. If any payroll tax credit is remaining at the end of the quarter that hasn’t been used completely because it exceeds $250,000 of the employer share of social security tax and the employer share of Medicare tax for the quarter, the excess credit may be carried forward to the succeeding quarter and allowed as a payroll tax credit for the succeeding quarter. The payroll tax credit may not be taken as a credit against income tax withholding, the employee share of social security tax, or the employee share of Medicare tax. Also, the remaining payroll tax credit may not be carried back and taken as a credit against wages paid from preceding quarters.

Example. Rose Co. is an employer with a calendar tax year that filed its timely 2025 income tax return on April 15, 2026. Rose Co. elected to take the qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities on Form 6765. The third quarter of 2026 is the first quarter that begins after Rose Co. filed the income tax return making the payroll tax credit election. Therefore, the payroll tax credit applies against Rose Co.’s share of social security tax (up to $250,000) and Medicare tax on wages paid to employees in the third quarter of 2026. Rose Co. is a semiweekly schedule depositor. Rose Co. completes Schedule B (Form 941) by reducing the amount of liability entered for the first payroll payment in

the third quarter of 2026 that includes wages subject to social security tax by the lesser of (1) its share of social security tax (up to $250,000) on the wages, or (2) the available payroll tax credit. If the payroll tax credit elected is more than Rose Co.’s share of social security tax on the first payroll payment of the quarter, the excess payroll tax credit would be carried forward to succeeding payroll payments in the third quarter until it is used against up to $250,000 of Rose Co.’s share of social security tax for the quarter. If the amount of the payroll tax credit exceeds Rose Co.’s share of social security tax (up to $250,000) on wages paid to its employees in the third quarter, any remaining credit is used against Rose Co.’s share of Medicare tax on the first payroll payment of the quarter and then the excess payroll tax credit would be carried forward to succeeding payroll payments in the third quarter until it is used against Rose Co.’s share of Medicare tax for the quarter. If Rose Co. still has credit remaining after reducing its share of social security tax (up to $250,000) and Medicare tax for the third quarter, the remainder would be treated as a payroll tax credit against its share of social security tax (up to $250,000) and Medicare tax on wages paid in the fourth quarter. If the amount of the payroll tax credit remaining exceeded Rose Co.’s share of social security tax (up to $250,000) and Medicare tax on wages paid in the fourth quarter, it could be carried forward and treated as a payroll tax credit for the first quarter of 2027.