What is the end-of-year checklist?
The end-of-year checklist helps expose issues that need to be fixed before we file your annual taxes to the IRS and state agencies. We'll provide you with a list of things to check. You can complete them all at once, or leave them for later. Incomplete tasks will appear in the Taxes & compliance section for you to finish. Make sure to complete those by December 26th to reduce the risk of amendments, penalties, and interest from the IRS.
The first part of the checklist will ask you questions about your payroll activity to make sure we have accurate payroll information recorded in our system. The second part will ask you questions about any information stored outside of Gusto that needs to be included on your employees' W-2.
Why complete the end-of-year checklist?
It's essential that we gather all information about your company’s payroll and benefits before we file your end-of-year tax returns, and before we prepare your employees' copies of their W-2s. Employers are required to give their employees W-2s by January 31st of each year. The earlier you complete the checklist, the more time we have to make any necessary corrections to your account.
What if I don’t have all the info yet?
We recommend starting with what you have—you can always click Save answers and finish later if you don't have all the info quite yet. If you do need more time, head back to the Taxes & compliance section to get back to the checklist when you're ready.
Where can I get more details?
Click here for a full overview of every question on the checklist.