- When are business taxes due?
- Business tax filing deadlines by entity type
- LLC filing deadline
- Quarterly estimated tax payment deadlines
- Employment and payroll tax deadlines
- How to file a business tax extension
- What happens if you miss the deadline to file business taxes in 2026?
- Close your books faster with Ramp's AI coding, syncing, and reconciling alongside you
Business tax deadlines for 2026 depend on your entity type. Partnerships and S corporations file by March 16, while C corporations and sole proprietors have until April 15. Beyond your annual return, you may also owe quarterly estimated payments, payroll tax deposits, and information returns like W-2s and 1099s.
When are business taxes due?
For the 2025 tax year, business returns are due March 16, 2026 for partnerships and S corporations, and April 15, 2026 for C corporations and sole proprietors. March 16 is the deadline (instead of March 15) because the 15th falls on a Sunday. When a deadline lands on a weekend or federal holiday, it shifts to the next business day.
| Business type | Filing deadline | Form required |
|---|---|---|
| S corporations | March 16, 2026 | Form 1120-S |
| Partnerships | March 16, 2026 | Form 1065 |
| Multi-member LLCs | March 16, 2026 | Form 1065 |
| C corporations | April 15, 2026 | Form 1120 |
| Sole proprietors | April 15, 2026 | Schedule C with Form 1040 |
| Single-member LLCs | April 15, 2026 | Schedule C with Form 1040 |
Business tax filing deadlines by entity type
Your business structure determines both when you file and which form you use.
S corporations
S corporations must file Form 1120-S by March 16, 2026. You'll also need to provide each shareholder with a Schedule K-1 showing their share of income, deductions, and credits.
S corps are pass-through entities, meaning the business itself doesn't pay federal income tax. Instead, shareholders report their share of the business's income on their personal returns.
C corporations
C corporations must file Form 1120 and pay any tax owed by April 15, 2026. Unlike pass-throughs, C corps pay income tax at the corporate level.
If your C corp uses a fiscal year rather than a calendar year, the return is due the 15th day of the fourth month after your fiscal year ends.
Partnerships and multi-member LLCs
Partnerships and multi-member LLCs taxed as partnerships must file Form 1065 by March 16, 2026. You'll also issue a Schedule K-1 to each partner.
Partnerships don't pay income tax directly. Each partner reports their share of the business's income, losses, and credits on their individual tax return.
Sole proprietorships and single-member LLCs
Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs report business income on Schedule C, filed with your personal Form 1040 by April 15, 2026. The IRS treats single-member LLCs as disregarded entities by default, meaning the business and owner are taxed as one.
LLC filing deadline
LLC tax deadlines depend entirely on how the LLC is taxed, not on the LLC structure itself. The IRS lets LLCs choose how they're treated for tax purposes, and that election dictates your due date.
- Single-member LLC: Taxed as a sole proprietor, due April 15, 2026
- Multi-member LLC: Taxed as a partnership, due March 16, 2026
- LLC electing S corp status: Due March 16, 2026
- LLC electing C corp status: Due April 15, 2026
Keep in mind that state-level LLC obligations such as annual reports, franchise taxes, and registration fees often follow their own schedules. California's $800 annual franchise tax, for example, has its own due date separate from federal filings. Check with your state's tax agency to confirm what you owe and when.
Quarterly estimated tax payment deadlines
Quarterly estimated tax payments are required when you expect to owe more than $1,000 in taxes for the year and your employer isn't withholding on your behalf.
If you're self-employed, a pass-through entity owner, or otherwise expect to owe at least $1,000 in taxes for the year, you'll need to make quarterly estimated tax payments. C corporations expecting to owe $500 or more also need to pay quarterly.
- Q1: April 15, 2026
- Q2: June 15, 2026
- Q3: September 15, 2026
- Q4: January 15, 2027 (covers Q4 of 2026)
You can skip the January 15, 2027 payment if you file your full 2026 return and pay the entire balance owed by February 1, 2027.
Employment and payroll tax deadlines
If you have employees, you're responsible for depositing and reporting payroll taxes on a strict schedule.
Deposit schedules for FICA taxes
FICA taxes include Social Security and Medicare taxes, which you must withhold from your employee's wages and match with your own contributions. The IRS assigns deposit schedules based on your total payroll tax liability during the lookback period. This period usually covers the 12 months ending on June 30 of the previous year.
You must follow a monthly deposit schedule if your tax liability during the lookback period is $50,000 or less. This means you need to deposit FICA taxes by the 15th of the month following the payroll period. For example, taxes withheld in May are due by June 15.
If your tax liability exceeds $50,000, you'll follow a semiweekly deposit schedule. For payroll on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, deposits are due the following Wednesday. For payroll on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, deposits are due the following Friday.
Missing a deadline can result in penalties, starting at 2% of the unpaid amount for deposits made 1–5 days late. To avoid penalties, make your FICA tax payments on time using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS).
W-2 and 1099 deadlines
You must furnish Form W-2 to employees and Form 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC to contractors by February 2, 2026 (since January 31 falls on a Saturday). Copies must also be filed with the Social Security Administration (for W-2s) and the IRS (for 1099s) by the same date.
Missing this deadline triggers per-form penalties that scale with how late you file, so prioritize getting these out the door.
Quarterly payroll tax filings
Form 941 reports wages paid, tips reported, federal income tax withheld, and both employer and employee shares of Social Security and Medicare taxes. It's due by the last day of the month following each quarter:
- Q1 2026: April 30, 2026
- Q2 2026: July 31, 2026
- Q3 2026: November 2, 2026
- Q4 2026: February 1, 2027
If you deposit all taxes on time, you may qualify for an extra 10 days to file.
If you employ farmworkers, you'll need to file Form 943 annually. The deadline for 2025 taxes is February 2, 2026, or February 16, 2026, if you deposit all taxes on time.
Smaller employers who withhold less than $1,000 in payroll taxes can file Form 944, an annual return. This 2025 tax form is also due by February 2, 2026, with the same February 16 extension for timely deposits.
If you withhold income taxes on non-wage payments, such as pensions or gambling winnings, you must file Form 945. The last day to file for 2025 is February 2, 2026, or February 16 with timely deposits.
Annual unemployment tax filings
The federal unemployment tax (FUTA) is a tax that you, as an employer, pay to help fund unemployment benefits for workers. Unlike other payroll taxes, FUTA is not deducted from your employee's wages. You calculate and pay this tax based on the first $7,000 of each employee's annual wages.
For tax year 2026, you must make quarterly FUTA payments if your liability exceeds $500 in any quarter.
- April 15, 2026
- June 15, 2026
- September 15, 2026
- January 15, 2027
If your quarterly liability is $500 or less, you can carry it forward to the next quarter. If your total liability for the year remains under $500, you can pay it all at once when you file IRS Form 940, the Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment Tax Return. It's due by February 1, 2027, for the 2026 tax year.
How to file a business tax extension
You can request an automatic 6-month extension by filing Form 7004 before your original due date. The IRS approves these automatically as long as you submit on time and pay any estimated tax owed.
An extension to file is not an extension to pay—you still owe any taxes by the original deadline to avoid failure-to-pay penalties and interest.
Extended deadlines for calendar-year filers:
- Partnerships and S corps: September 15, 2026
- C corps: October 15, 2026
- Sole proprietors: October 15, 2026
What happens if you miss the deadline to file business taxes in 2026?
Missing a business tax deadline triggers two separate penalties, and they can stack quickly. Filing as soon as possible is the best way to limit the damage.
- Failure-to-file penalty: Assessed each month (or part of a month) your return is late, up to a maximum cap. For partnerships and S corps, the penalty is calculated per partner or shareholder per month.
- Failure-to-pay penalty: Assessed monthly on the unpaid tax balance until you pay in full
- Interest: Compounds daily on unpaid taxes at the IRS's current rate of 0.5% up to 25%, on top of any penalties
The failure-to-file penalty is typically much steeper than the failure-to-pay penalty, so even if you can't pay in full, file your return on time. The IRS may waive penalties if you can show reasonable cause, such as a natural disaster, serious illness, or other circumstances beyond your control.
Close your books faster with Ramp's AI coding, syncing, and reconciling alongside you
Month-end close is a stressful exercise for many companies, but it doesn't have to be that way. Ramp's AI-powered accounting tools handle everything from transaction coding to ERP sync, so teams close faster every month with fewer errors, less manual work, and full visibility.
Every transaction is coded in real time, reviewed automatically, and matched with receipts and approvals behind the scenes. Ramp flags what needs human attention and syncs routine, in-policy spend so teams can move fast and stay focused all month long. When it's time to wrap, Ramp posts accruals, amortizes transactions, and reconciles with your accounting system so tie-out is smoother and books are audit-ready in record time.
Here's what accounting looks like on Ramp:
- AI codes in real time: Ramp learns your accounting patterns and applies your feedback to code transactions across all required fields as they post
- Auto-sync routine spend: Ramp identifies in-policy transactions and syncs them to your ERP automatically, so review queues stay manageable, targeted, and focused
- Review with context: Ramp reviews all spend in the background and suggests an action for each transaction, so you know what's ready for sync and what needs a closer look
- Automate accruals: Post (and reverse) accruals automatically when context is missing so all expenses land in the right period
- Tie out with confidence: Use Ramp's reconciliation workspace to spot variances, surface missing entries, and ensure everything matches to the cent
Try an interactive demo to see how businesses close their books 3x faster with Ramp.
The information provided in this article does not constitute accounting, legal, or financial advice and is for general informational purposes only. Please contact an accountant, attorney, or financial advisor to obtain advice with respect to your business.
FAQs
The last day depends on your entity type. For calendar-year filers, S corps and partnerships must file by March 16, 2026, while C corps and sole proprietors must file by April 15, 2026. If you file an extension, the deadlines push to September 15 or October 15, respectively.
Both. Pass-through entities like S corps and partnerships file in March, while C corps and sole proprietors file in April. The split exists because pass-through owners need their Schedule K-1s to complete their personal returns by April 15.
Not always. Many states align with federal deadlines, but some set their own due dates for income tax, franchise tax, and annual reports. Check with your state's tax agency to confirm what applies to your business.
Yes, but file as soon as you can. If you don't owe taxes, you won't face a failure-to-pay penalty, but the IRS can still assess a failure-to-file penalty for partnerships and S corps, which is based on the number of partners or shareholders rather than tax owed.
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