Paying payroll taxes online helps not just the IRS but you as well. In the past and even in the present, we might have been worried about online security and with good reason especially in light of recent headlines about the IRS breach of security in 2015. The major news sources have only recently reported that the number of victims from the breach in 2015 was just over 700,000 taxpayers. We have reason for pause to report payroll tax information online due to the information the tax files contain but reporting by paper in lieu of electronic means doesn’t necessarily translate to higher security. . The IRS security breach occurred within its archived database of information that had been reported online or by paper based returns in the past. Also, keep in mind the US Postal Service has dealt with its own security issues and problems.

I personally pay payroll taxes online and my other tax types because I believe it is the most dependable, assured, and accurate method available. Therefore, if you aren’t already filing and paying online you may want to consider otherwise.The most apparent reason to file and pay online is the assurance you receive that the state or IRS received your filing or payment and that it is received on time. You have some documentation that shows it was filed in case it becomes a question later. In addition, if you pay payroll taxes online generally you have the accuracy checks of the software you are using. I know in paper based filing and the process to calculate my payroll taxes manually I have a good chance of making mistakes. Online filing and payment software helps assure my calculations are correct.

It takes less time to do my tax filing and payment chores correctly than it does to do them incorrectly. The types of taxes you pay online are varied and relatively many. You will need to report 941 payroll taxes. These relate to your employer portion and your employees’ withholding for income, social security, and medicare taxes. You can file and pay state unemployment taxes, as well as sales taxes online. The information contained in each of these filings will be varied.

Security is a two way street. The IRS Electronic Federal Tax Filing System for instance uses firewalls and internal procedures that few of us would understand, but its security also relies heavily on identifying each user and then each users’ authentication of who they are. It is important to your own security to use a good password. Due to the complexity of a good password, you're probably going to have to write it down which we all learned is something you don't do. Times have changed and so have the complexity needs of authenticating who we are.

The IRS has dealt with security issues in the past, it still does presently, and it will in the future. They have safeguards in place but our security is also our responsibility. It is important to know what safeguards are available to us. The most important securities are at the forefront of most state and federal tax filing system guides. Use all the suggestions you find on these sites to safeguard your online filed data. It is apparent things are online and they will stay that way to reduce cost but also to reduce errors and lost forms. Some tax forms can still be filed with paper returns but even with these you are safer to file online. It is quicker, more accurate, and more secure over the long run of your business.