Important Dates for Employee Tax Forms

Businesses (including churches) must prepare tax reporting forms for all of their employees as part of their tax filing obligations. Generally, W-2 forms are used for full-time workers and form 1099 MISC for contractors. Subsequently, businesses must also file a Form W-3 or Form 1096 as an informational summary of their W-2 and 1099 reporting.

For the 2018 tax year, employers must provide employees with a W-2 by January 31. The same deadline applies for completing and providing form 1099 MISC (reporting amounts in Box 7: Nonemployee Compensation). Both W-3 and 1096 forms are also due to be filed with the appropriate government agency by January 31.

2019 IRS Standard Mileage
The IRS has announced the following changes to the standard mileage rate for 2019. Beginning January 1, the standard mileage rates for the use of cars (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) became:

     * 58 cents per mile for business miles driven, up 3.5 cents from the rate for 2018
     * 20 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, up 2 cents from the rate for 2018
     * 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations (the charitable rate is set by statute)