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Payroll taxes are the part of running payroll that keeps business owners up at night. Withhold the wrong amount? Problem. Deposit late? Penalties. File the wrong form? More penalties. The IRS doesn’t forgive honest mistakes. The good news: Pluvel handles all of it automatically — calculation, deposits, and filings for federal and all 50 states. You run payroll; we handle the tax compliance.

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What we handle

Tax TypeWho PaysRatePluvel Handles
Federal Income TaxEmployeeVaries by W-4Withholding, deposits, 941
Social SecurityBoth6.2% eachWithholding, deposits, 941
MedicareBoth1.45% eachWithholding, deposits, 941
Additional MedicareEmployee0.9% over $200kWithholding, deposits
FUTAEmployer6% (0.6% with credit)Deposits, 940
State Income TaxEmployeeVaries by stateWithholding, deposits, state returns
SUTA/SUIEmployerVaries by state/rateDeposits, state returns

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Tax deposit schedules

The IRS and states determine your deposit schedule based on tax liability:

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Federal deposits

If Your Tax Liability Is…Deposit Schedule
$50,000 or less (lookback period)Monthly
More than $50,000Semi-weekly
$100,000+ in a single dayNext business day
Pluvel automatically determines your schedule and makes deposits on time.

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Monthly depositors

Taxes withheld in a month are due by the 15th of the following month.
Payroll RunTaxes Due
January 1-31February 15
February 1-28March 15

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Semi-weekly depositors

Payday Falls OnDeposit Due
Wednesday, Thursday, FridayFollowing Wednesday
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, TuesdayFollowing Friday

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How deposits work

1

Payroll runs

When you submit payroll, we calculate all taxes owed.
2

Funds debited

We debit your funding account for net pay + tax deposits.
3

Deposits made

We submit deposits to the IRS (via EFTPS) and state agencies.
4

Confirmation

You receive confirmation in Pluvel. Go to Payroll → Tax Deposits to see history.
Your funding account must have sufficient funds. We debit 2 business days before the check date to ensure timely tax deposits.

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Viewing tax deposits

Go to Payroll → Tax Deposits to see:
  • Upcoming deposits — What’s scheduled and when
  • Completed deposits — History with confirmation numbers
  • Tax liability — Running totals by quarter

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Deposit detail

Each deposit shows:
FieldDescription
DateWhen the deposit was made
AgencyIRS, state, or local
AmountTotal deposited
PeriodPay period or quarter
ConfirmationEFTPS or agency confirmation number

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Tax filings

Beyond deposits, we file the required returns:

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Federal filings

FormFrequencyDue DateWhat It Reports
941QuarterlyEnd of month after quarterWages, withholding, FICA
940AnnualJanuary 31FUTA liability and payments
W-2AnnualJanuary 31Employee wage statements
944AnnualJanuary 31Small employer wages (if eligible)

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State filings

Filing schedules vary by state. Common patterns:
  • Quarterly withholding returns — Report state income tax withheld
  • Quarterly unemployment returns — Report SUTA wages and tax
  • Annual reconciliation — Match withholding to W-2s
Go to Payroll → Tax Filings to see upcoming and completed filings.

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Setting up tax deposits

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Initial setup

When you first enable payroll:
  1. Enter your federal EIN in Settings → Tax
  2. Add state tax accounts for each state
  3. Connect your funding account in Settings → Payroll → Funding
  4. We determine your deposit schedule based on prior liability

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New employer

If you’re a new employer with no prior liability:
  • You start as a monthly depositor
  • After your lookback period (about 18 months), we’ll adjust if needed

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Changing funding accounts

To change your payroll funding account:
  1. Go to Settings → Payroll → Funding Account
  2. Click Change Account
  3. Verify the new account (micro-deposits take 1-2 business days)
  4. Future debits use the new account
Ensure the new account has sufficient funds before switching. In-progress payrolls use the account configured at submission.

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Tax rates and updates

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Federal rates

Federal rates (Social Security, Medicare) are set by law. We update them automatically each year if they change.

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State rates

State rates vary:
  • Withholding — Based on employee W-4 and state tables (updated annually)
  • Unemployment — Assigned rate specific to your company (you enter this)

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Updating your SUTA rate

States assign unemployment rates based on your claims history:
  1. You receive a rate notice annually (usually December or January)
  2. Enter the new rate in Settings → Tax → State Accounts → [State]
  3. We use the new rate for future payrolls

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Common issues

If a deposit fails:
  1. We notify you immediately
  2. Check your funding account balance
  3. We retry automatically if possible
  4. For persistent failures, contact support
Late deposits may incur IRS/state penalties—we’ll help you understand your options.
If your deposit schedule is incorrect:
  1. Check your lookback period liability
  2. Provide the IRS notice showing your assigned schedule
  3. We’ll adjust your settings
You can also contact the IRS to verify your official schedule.
If we can’t verify a state account:
  1. Double-check the account number format
  2. Ensure the account is active with the state
  3. Some states have long verification delays (2-4 weeks)
You can proceed with payroll while verification is pending.
If you receive a notice:
  1. Upload it to Mailroom or send to support@pluvel.com
  2. We’ll review and identify the issue
  3. We help you respond or correct if needed
Don’t ignore notices—penalties compound quickly.

Form 941

Quarterly federal tax return details.

Form 940

Annual FUTA tax return details.