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

If tax deadlines and logistics have taken over your brain recently, you’re not alone. March is a jam-packed month for business owners, but we’re here to help you make headway on your compliance deadlines. Keep reading for a full list of all the key tax, payroll, benefits, and HR dates coming up.

Important holidays

March 31, 2026

César Chávez Day

Tuesday, March 31, is César Chávez Day, which commemorates the life and work of civil rights and labor movement activist César Chávez. It’s a state holiday in Arizona, California, Michigan, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin, so most government offices and schools will be closed in those states. Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Texas also host celebrations for the holiday, though they’re more informal.  

Tax and payroll compliance deadlines

Payroll tax deposits (for semi-weekly depositors)

If you’re an employer, you have to file Forms 940 and 941 to deposit payroll taxes periodically 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 considered a semi-weekly depositor and must follow the schedule below:

If your tax liability comes to $100,000 or more in a single day, you have to deposit the amount by the following business day, regardless of your normal deposit schedule

For more information, read Publication 15. 

Remember: some state and local governments collect payroll taxes, and the deadlines for those may be different from the federal ones. For more information, contact your state and local tax agencies directly. 

March 2, 2026

Form 1040 filing deadline 

If you’re a calendar-year farmer or fisherman, you need to file your 2025 income tax return (Form 1040) and pay any tax due by March 2. But if you already paid your 2025 estimated tax payments by January 15, 2026, you have until April 15 to file.

If you operate on a fiscal tax year (starting after January 1), you can either pay all your estimated taxes by the 15th day after the end of your tax year or file your return and pay all the taxes you owe by the first day of the third month after the end of your tax year. 

Read more about estimated taxes for farmers and fishermen here. 

Form 730 filing deadline for January wagers

Form 730, the monthly tax return for wagers, is due March 2 if you accepted wagers during January 2026. The form is usually due on the last day of the month, but since February 28 fell on a weekend, the new deadline is March 2. 

Form 2290 filing deadline for January

If you registered a heavy highway motor vehicle that you used for the first time in January 2026, you have to file Form 2290 by March 2. 

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

March 10, 2026

Employee tip reporting deadline for February

Your tipped employees are required to report any tips of $20 or more that they earned during the month of February 2026. They need to report them to you by March 10. Learn more about tip withholding and reporting requirements here. 

March 16, 2026

Payroll tax deposits for monthly depositors

If you pay payroll tax on a monthly schedule (because you reported less than $50,000 in payroll taxes during the lookback period), your tax deposit for February payrolls is due on March 16. 

S corp (Form 1120-S) and partnership (Form 1065) tax returns due

If you own an S corporation or if your LLC is taxed as an S corp, your 2025 calendar year income tax return is due March 16. You’ll use Form 1120-S to report your income, losses, and dividends as a shareholder of the company. 

If you own a partnership or an LLC set up as a partnership, your income tax return is also due March 16. You’ll use Form 1065 to report your operation's gains, losses, deductions, and credits. Keep in mind that each partner is responsible for paying their share of income from the business on their personal tax returns (Form 1040).

As the owner of an S corp or partnership, you also have to fill out and submit a Schedule K-1 or Schedule K-3, which breaks down each shareholder or partner’s percentage of profits and losses in the business. You must submit these forms to the IRS by March 16 unless you apply for an extension. 

You can request an automatic six-month extension—which puts your new deadline at September 15, 2026—by submitting Form 7004 to the IRS by March 16. Keep in mind that if you file for the extension, you still have to pay your estimated taxes on time to avoid a penalty. 

Forms 8804 and 8805 filing deadline for partnerships

Form 8804 is used to report the total liability for your partnership’s tax year. If your partnership operates on a calendar year, you have to file Form 8804 by March 16. 

If one or more of your partners is international, you also have to file Form 8805 (one for each separate partner). This shows the amount of effectively connected taxable income (ECTI) and the total tax credit allocable to the international partner for the partnership's tax year.

If you have questions, learn more about partnership tax forms here. For an automatic six-month extension on this form, make sure to file Form 7004. 

Form 2553 filing deadline to elect S corp status

If you want to be taxed as an S corp for the calendar year 2026, you have to make an official election by filing Form 2553. You have to file the form no later than two months and 15 days after the beginning of the tax year when the election is to take effect; in this case, the deadline is March 16. 

To learn more about filing Form 2553, read the IRS instructions here. 

Forms 1042 and 1042-S due

Form 1042 is the annual withholding tax return for US-sourced income for international individuals. You’re required to file electronically if you’re a withholding agent who’s part of a financial institution or if you’re filing ten or more information returns. Otherwise, you can file a paper copy by March 16 to the following address:

Internal Revenue Service

P.O. Box 409101

Ogden, UT 84409 

If you need more time to file Form 1042, you can file for an automatic six-month extension using Form 7004. 

Form 1042-S reports retirement plan distributions and certain other payments made to nonresident aliens who are subject to income tax withholding. As a withholding agent, you have to file this form by March 16 and can do it electronically through the FIRE system. You also have to furnish a copy to the income recipient. If you need an automatic 30-day extension to file Form 1042-S, file Form 8809 by March 16. 

March 31, 2026

Quarter 1 of 2026 ends

The first quarter of the year ends at the end of the month for those who operate on a calendar year. 

Electronic filing deadline for Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, and W-2G 

If you didn’t already file these forms via mail by February 2, the electronic filing deadline for Forms 1098, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, and W-2G is March 31. Here’s a refresher on the forms: 

• Use Form 1097 to report certain tax credit bonds

• Use Form 1098 to report mortgage interest of $600 or more that you received from an individual in the course of business 

• Use Form 1099-MISC to report certain kinds of reportable payments that were paid last year, including rent, royalties, awards, and prizes

• Use Form 3921 to report when someone exercises an incentive stock option

• Use Form 3922 to report the transfer of stock acquired through an employee stock purchase plan

• Use Form W-2G to report certain gambling winnings

Electronic filing deadline for Form 8027

If you run a large food or beverage establishment and didn’t file Form 8027 via mail in February, you need to file electronically by March 31 to report employee tips and your receipts from food and beverages. 

Form 730 filing deadline for February wagers

You have to file Form 730, the monthly tax return for wagers, if you meet the following criteria and you accepted wagers during February 2026:

• 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 February

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 February 2026, you have to file Form 2290 by March 31. 

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

HR compliance deadlines

March 2, 2026

Deadline for furnishing Forms 1095-C and 1095-B to employees

If you have 50 or more full-time equivalent employees, you’re considered an applicable large employer (ALE), which means you have to furnish Form 1095-C to all your employees eligible for health insurance coverage by March 2. The form explains the health benefits you offer and goes over your employees’ enrollment status. 

If you’re self-insured and not considered an ALE, you must provide Form 1095-B (along with Form 1094-B) to any employees identified as “responsible individuals” on the coverage form. This form includes information about the health benefits you offer and your employee’s enrollment status. 

March 2 is also the deadline to file paper versions of Form 1095-C and Form 1095-B (the deadline for electronic filing is March 31). 

To learn more about filing Forms 1095-C and 1095-B, check out the IRS instructions here. 

Paper filing deadline for Form 1099-R

Form 1099-R reports distributions from pensions, annuities, and retirement plans made in 2025. If you’re filing a paper copy, it’s due March 2 (usually the deadline is February 28, but that fell on a weekend this year). 

MEWA M-1 filing deadline

Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) is a group health insurance plan that gives coverage to the employees of two or more employers. If you have MEWA or any other employee welfare benefit plan, you have to file an annual report to the Department of Labor (DOL) using Form M-1. This report is due by March 1 (it’s a weekend day, so plan ahead). 

You can see filing instructions from the DOL here. 

OSHA e-filing deadline 

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 300A.

If you employ 250 or more employees in an industry covered by the recordkeeping regulation (or if you employ between 20 and 249 employees in certain high-risk industries), you have to file Form 300A electronically using the OSHA e-file website by March 2.

Deadline for creditable coverage disclosure (for calendar year plans)

The Medicare Modernization Act mandates that businesses with Medicare Part D-eligible employees who offer group healthcare plans with prescription drug coverage must disclose to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) the creditable coverage status of their prescription drug plans. 

If this applies to you and you’re on a calendar year plan, you must submit this information online through the Disclosure to CMS form by March 2 (or within 60 days of the start of the plan year for a non-calendar year plan). 

HIPAA breach notification deadline for incidents with fewer than 500 people

According to the HIPAA Breach Notification rule, HIPAA-covered entities are required to notify affected individuals if they experience a breach of unsecured protected health information and report the event to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). 

Breaches that took place in 2025 and affected fewer than 500 people must be reported to those people and the OCR within 60 days of the end of the year when the breach took place. That makes the deadline March 2.

Submit these notifications to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the HHS website. 

March 16, 2026

Deadline for distributing ADP/ACP refunds

If you corrected your retirement plan as a result of any Actual Deferral Percentage (ADP) or Actual Contribution Percentage (ACP) testing failures, you need to distribute your ADP/ACP refunds by March 16. This is the last day to distribute refunds without incurring a 10% excise tax. 

Deadline for employer contributions to S corp or partnership retirement plan trust

If you operate on a calendar year and want to contribute to your S corp or partnership’s retirement plan trust, March 16 is the last day you can contribute and take deductions without requesting a corporate tax extension. 

Learn more about the IRS’ retirement plan contribution rules.

Deadline to apply for a waiver for minimum funding standards for defined benefit plans

Defined benefit plans are subject to minimum funding standards imposed by the IRS. If you need to apply for a waiver of the minimum funding standard for your defined benefit or money purchase pension plan, you need to do so by the 15th day of the third month after the end of the plan year. 

In this case, that deadline is March 16. You can learn more about minimum funding standards here. 

March 31, 2026

Electronic filing deadline for Forms 1094-C, 1095-C, 1094-B, and 1095-B

If you’re an ALE and didn’t file Form 1095-C to the IRS via mail at the start of the month, you need to file electronically by March 31. You'll also need to turn in a cover sheet to the IRS, along with your returns, in the form of Form 1094-C (for 1095-C forms). 

All other providers of minimum essential coverage need to file Form 1095-B (along with Form 1094-B) with the IRS electronically. 

Electronic filing deadline for Form 1099-R

If you didn’t file a paper copy of Form 1099-R at the start of the month, the due date to file electronically is March 31. See the form’s instructions here.

Deadline for summary plan description

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) requires employers to provide employees with a simplified version of their benefits plan, called a summary plan description (SPD). The SPD covers an employee’s rights, benefits, and responsibilities under the plan. 

You must distribute the SPD to your plan participants within 90 days of the adoption of a new plan. If you follow a calendar year plan, March 31 is your deadline.