August 2026: The Small Business Owner’s HR, Benefits, Payroll, and Tax Compliance Deadlines

Whether your business is in full-fledged chaos this summer or moving a bit slower, it’s important to stay on top of your compliance deadlines. Fortunately, there are only a handful in August. Mark them on your calendar now, so you don’t have to scramble next month.  

Federal holidays

Nothing in August! 

Tax and payroll compliance deadlines

Payroll tax deposits (for semi-weekly depositors)

You know the drill: you’re responsible for filing Forms 940 and 941 to deposit payroll taxes throughout the year.

If you report more than $50,000 in payroll taxes during the lookback period of July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, you’re a semi-weekly depositor, which means this is your payment schedule:

And remember: if you accumulate $100,000 or more in tax liability on a single day, you’re required to deposit the amount by the following business day, regardless of when you usually make payments. 

To learn more about federal payroll tax deposits, read Publication 15. 

Pro tip: don’t forget to check with your state and local tax agencies to find out if you owe deposits for local payroll taxes. 

August 10, 2026

Employee tip reporting deadline for July 

Per the IRS’ tip withholding and reporting requirements, your employees are required to report any tips of $20 or more that they collected during July. The deadline is August 10.

Form 941 extended filing deadline for people who made timely deposits 

The second Form 941 for 2026 and the accompanying payroll tax payment were due on July 31. However, if you made the full deposit for the quarter on time, you automatically get 10 extra days to file the form. That means Form 941 is due August 10 if you made the full quarterly deposit on time. 

You can e-file through the EFTPS.

August 17, 2026

Payroll tax deposits for monthly depositors

If you reported less than $50,000 in payroll taxes during the lookback period, you’re on the monthly payroll tax deposit schedule. Your tax deposit for July Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax is due on August 17. 

Form 8038 filing deadline for tax-exempt private activity bonds

The IRS requires you to file Form 8038 on a quarterly basis if your business issues tax-exempt private activity bonds (think: qualified mortgage bonds and qualified veterans' mortgage bonds). 

For bonds issued any time during Q2 of this year, Form 8038 is due August 17. Make sure you also fill out and submit Forms 8038-B, 8038-G, and 8038-TC, too. 

You can send your forms to the following address:

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service Center
Ogden, UT 84201

August 31, 2026

Form 2290 filing deadline for vehicles first used in July

If you operate heavy highway motor vehicles (those with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more) in your business, you’re responsible for paying taxes on them. File Form 2290 by August 31 for any vehicles you registered in July 2026. 

To learn more about Form 2290, review the IRS’s instructions and information. 

Form 730 filing deadline for July wagers

If your business accepted any wagers in July, Form 730, your monthly tax return for wagers, is due August 31. Learn more about Form 730 here.

HR compliance deadlines

August 14, 2026

Deadline to furnish second quarterly benefits statement to participants

If you provide retirement plans to your employees, you have to deliver benefit statements to all your plan participants at least once a quarter. These documents are due within 45 days of the end of the previous quarter.

That means the second quarterly benefits statement, as well as a statement of plan fees and expenses charged to the participant’s plan account during the quarter, is due to participants by August 14.