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

February may be a short month, but it’s jam-packed with compliance deadlines. As you plan for the rest of the quarter, make sure you note these critical dates for taxes, payroll, HR, and benefits. 

Federal holidays

February 16, 2026

President’s Day/Washington’s Birthday

Banks and schools are closed on Presidents’ Day, and plenty of businesses take the day off, too.  

Tax and payroll compliance deadlines

Payroll tax deposits (for semi-weekly depositors)

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires employers who file Forms 940 and 941 to deposit payroll taxes at different frequencies throughout the year, depending on factors like the information returns they use and their past filing history.

If you report more than $50,000 in payroll taxes during the lookback period of July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, you’re considered a semi-weekly depositor and must follow the schedule below:

However, if you accumulate $100,000 or more of tax liability in a single day, the IRS says you must deposit the amount by the following business day, regardless of whether you normally deposit on a semi-weekly or monthly basis (we’ll cover monthly deposits below).

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

Keep in mind that some state and local governments that collect payroll taxes will also expect their own deposits, and those deadlines may be different from the federal ones. For more information, contact your state and local tax agencies directly. 

February 2, 2026

Form 1040 is due for individuals who didn’t make their fourth estimated tax payment

If you didn’t pay your last installment of estimated tax by January 15, you can file your income tax return (Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR) for 2025 early by February 2. If you file your return and pay all taxes due by this date (instead of April 15), you won’t get penalized for missing your last estimated tax payment. 

Form 940 due

You have to report your annual Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax from the previous tax year using Form 940. If your FUTA tax liability for the fourth quarter of 2025 is $500 or less, you can also pay the tax when you file the form on this day. If it is more than $500, you must deposit it.

Read the section on Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax in Publication 15 to learn more. 

Form 941 due

Employers file Form 941 with the IRS every quarter to report how much federal income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes they withheld from employees’ paychecks during that time period. The deadline for fourth-quarter payments for the 2025 tax year is February 2. 

If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return. If you deposited the tax for the quarter timely, correctly, and in full, you can wait until February 10 to file if you like. 

Form 943 due

If you employ farm workers, you’ll need to file Form 943 with the IRS by February 2 if their wages are subject to employment taxes. Note that agricultural employee wages are only reported using this form and that they aren’t reported on Forms 941 or 944. 

Form 944 due

Smaller employers with an annual tax liability of less than $1,000 for Medicare, Social Security, or withheld federal income taxes must file Form 944 by February 2. This replaces the quarterly Form 941 filing requirements that larger businesses have. 

If your tax liability is $2,500 or more for 2025 but less than $2,500 for the fourth quarter, deposit any undeposited tax or pay it in full with a timely filed return. If you deposited the tax for the year timely, properly, and in full, you have until February 10 to file the return.

Form 945 due

File Form 945 with the IRS by February 2 to report any income tax withheld from non-payroll payments, like 401(k) distributions or annuity payments. If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return. 

If you deposited the tax for the year timely and in full, you have an extra eight days—until February 10—to file the return.

Form W-2 due 

If you had employees in 2025, you need to furnish Form W-2 to them and file with the Social Security Administration (SSA) as well as with your state and local governments by February 2. 

Per the IRS’s updated regulations, you’re required to submit these forms electronically if you have 10 or more forms to submit. If your employee agrees to receive Form W-2 electronically, make sure you post it securely on a website and notify the employee of the posting.

File Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, along with Copy A of all the W-2 forms you issued for 2025. 

Form 1099-NEC due

Form 1099-NEC, the form for nonemployee compensation, is due to the IRS (and your state and local governments, if they require it) by February 2. You also have to distribute a copy of this form to every independent contractor to whom you paid $600 or more in nonemployee compensation during the 2025 tax year. 

If you have any employees who received employer-sponsored plan distributions last year, they get a copy of Form 1099-R by this date as well. For more information on 1099 reporting forms, review the general instructions provided by the IRS.

FUTA quarterly tax payment is due

The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) says that you’re subject to FUTA tax on the wages you paid employees who aren’t household or agricultural employees if:

• You paid wages of $1,500 or more to employees in any calendar quarter during 2024 or 2025, or

• You had one or more employees for at least some part of a day in any 20 or more different weeks in 2024 or 20 or more different weeks in 2025. Count all full-time, part-time, and temporary employees.

If the above applies to you, you have to file Form 940 by February 2. However, you also have to deposit your FUTA tax before you file your return. If your FUTA tax liability is more than $500 for the calendar year, you must deposit at least one quarterly payment. If your FUTA tax liability is $500 or less in a quarter, you can carry it forward to the next quarter.

That means if your FUTA tax liability through December 2025 was more than $500, you need to make your fourth quarterly payment by February 2.

If you owe $500 or more, you must make electronic fund transfers using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). Refer to Publication 966 for electronic federal tax payment system information, and Publication 15 for more information on deposit rules.

Form 720 filing deadline

If your business manufactures or sells certain goods and services, you must report and pay excise taxes to the IRS on a quarterly basis using Form 720. You can see the full list of the goods and services that incur excise taxes on the document itself. 

If your business deals with any of them, the fourth payment for the 2025 tax year is due February 2. 

If you want to e-file, you can pay your excise taxes through the EFTPS. If you want to mail the tax form to the IRS, send the form, along with your check or money order payment and the Form 720-V payment voucher (found on the last page of Form 720), to the following address:

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

Ogden, UT 84201-0009

Form 730 filing deadline for wagers in December 2025

You have to file Form 730, the monthly tax return for wagers, if you meet the following criteria and accepted wagers during December 2025:

• are in the business of accepting wagers

• conduct a wagering pool or lottery

• are required to be registered and received wagers for or on behalf of another person, but did not report that person’s name and address

Learn more about Form 730 here.

Form 2290 filing deadline for vehicles first used in December 2025

If you’ve registered a heavy highway motor vehicle (with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more) that was first used in December 2025, you have to file Form 2290 by February 2.

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

February 10, 2026

Employee tip reporting deadline for January 

Your employees need to report any tips over $20 that they earned during the month of January. You can learn more about tip withholding and reporting requirements here. 

Form 941 extended filing deadline for people who made timely deposits 

If you have at least one employee, you have to file Form 941 to report any income taxes, Social Security taxes, or Medicare taxes withheld from your staff’s paychecks—and pay their share of payroll taxes every quarter. 

The first Form 941 for 2025 and the accompanying payroll tax payment were due on February 2. However, if you made the full deposit for the quarter on time, you automatically get additional time to file the form—in this case, until February 10. You can e-file through the EFTPS.

This also applies to Forms 940, 943, 944, and 945 for timely depositors. 

February 17, 2026

Payroll tax deposits for monthly depositors

If your company follows the monthly payroll tax deposit schedule (meaning that you reported less than $50,000 in payroll taxes during the lookback period), then your tax deposit for January payroll is due on February 17. 

Forms 1099-B, 1099-S, and 1099-MISC filing deadlines

If you have to file Forms 1099-B, 1099-S, or 1099-MISC (with amounts reported in box 8 or 10), your filing due date for these forms is February 17. 

If your employee(s) claimed an exemption from income tax withholding in Tax Year 2025, they must provide you with a new Form W-4 by February 17. If they don’t furnish you with a new Form W-4 by this date, re-confirming their exempt status for 2026, you must start to withhold as if they are single with no other adjustments starting February 18. 

Form 990 filing deadline

Tax-exempt organizations like non-profits file Form 990 with the IRS to provide certain details about their organizations and remain compliant with IRS section 6033. 

If your company’s fiscal year ended on September 30, 2025, your filing deadline for Form 990 is February 17. Visit the IRS Form 990 resource page to learn more.

State 1099 and W-2 filing deadlines

Certain states have different schedules from the IRS. New Jersey and Iowa, for example, require you to file 1099 and W-2 forms by February 17.

If you’re not sure about your state filing deadlines (or if you need to turn in any forms at all), check with your state tax agency for more details. 

Form 8038 filing deadline for tax-exempt private activity bonds

If your business issues tax-exempt private activity bonds, you have to file Form 8038 for bonds issued in the fourth quarter of 2025 (October, November, and December) by February 17. Per the IRS, you have to file Form 8038 by the 15th day of the second calendar month after the close of the calendar quarter in which the bond was issued. Forms 8038-B, 8038-G, and 8038-TC are also due at this time. 

Make sure you file a separate form for each issue of the following tax-exempt private activity bonds issued after 1986:

• Exempt facility bonds

• Qualified mortgage bonds

• Qualified veterans’ mortgage bonds

• Qualified small issue bonds

• Qualified student loan bonds

• Qualified redevelopment bonds

• Qualified hospital bonds

• Qualified 501(c)(3) bonds

• Nongovernmental output property bonds

• All other tax-exempt private activity bonds

Send your forms to the following address:

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service Center

Ogden, UT 84201

HR compliance deadlines

February 1, 2026

OSHA Form 300A summary posting

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires most companies with 10 or more full-time employees to keep an annual record of all reportable workplace injuries and illnesses, the time and place they occurred, and other relevant details using Form 300. 

Every year, OSHA mandates that employers post the summary section (Form 300A) of last year’s incident log by February 1. This form must be kept posted until April 30.

February 2, 2026

Deadline to furnish Form 1099-R

If you have any employees who received employer-sponsored plan distributions last year, you need to give them a copy of Form 1099-R by February 2. For more information on 1099 reporting forms, review the general instructions provided by the IRS.

February 14, 2026

Deadline to provide participants with a quarterly benefit/disclosure statement

You need to provide participants with a defined contribution plan with a quarterly benefit/disclosure statement. The statement should include plan fees and expenses charged to individual plan accounts during the last quarter of 2025. 

The statement is due 45 days after the end of the quarter, which makes this year’s deadline February 14. Keep in mind that February 14 falls on a weekend, so plan accordingly.